| A microcalometric method for the characterization of
the extremely diluited solutions of homeopathic medicine
© del
Prof. Vittorio Elia, Department of
Chemistry, University “Federico II” of Naples, Italy
 The interactions of acids and bases with extremely
diluted solutions of homeopathic medicine has been
investigated calorimetrically at 25°C. In the totality of
measurements (about 2000 experimental heats of interaction
with acids or bases, performed on about 200 different
samples, during three years of experimental work) a heat of
mixing in excess has been systematically found with respect
to the heat of mixing with the solvent, namely untreated
bidistilled water. The chemical composition of these
“solutions “ is the same as that of the solvent because
of the high degree of dilution. Hence, the large excess heat
(1--20 J kg-1) cannot be attributed to the presence of
solute. Apparatus Heats of mixing were monitored using a Thermal Activity
Monitor (TAM) from Thermometric, equipped with a flow-mixing
vessel and a batch titration vessel, able to appreciate 0.1
*W. In the case of the flow-mixing vessel, two peristaltic
pumps envoy solutions into the calorimeter through teflon
tubes. Flow rates of the liquids are the same and constant
in the inlet tubes. The mass flow rate employed, constant
within 1%, is 3*10-3 g s-1: it is the same for all
experiments. The maximum error on the mixing heat is about
10%. Method Each calorimetric measurement is carried out comparing
the behaviour of pure water, with that of the extremely
diluted solution when interacting with the same test
solution, in the same experimental conditions. In these
experiments the test solutions where hydrochloric acid or
sodium hydroxide. Both the extremely diluted solution and
the bidistilled water used as solvent are stored in vessels
of dark glass for the same time. In Fig.1, a typical
power-time diagram is reported. Line A represents the
steady-state reached when the solvent water is sent into the
calorimeter in both the inlet tubes. The heat evolved when
mixing the same solutions is assumed as zero (baseline).
Line B indicates the steady-state reached when the test
solution mixes with bidistilled water. Line C is relative to
the mixing of the extremely diluted solution with the test
solution. The difference between the two stationary states
(line B and C) and the baseline (line A) is proportional to
the heat 
Fig.1 Power-time diagram of mixing. The difference
between the two heats of mixing relative to the stationary
states C and B is the excess heat, that is the quantity
always referred to in the figures or tables. Line D is
obtained when sending again the solvent water in the two
inlet tubes: it is the same as line A (baseline). All
calorimetric experiments have shown that line C is higher
than line B thus indicating a more exothermic process. Results and discussion Interaction between homeopathic remedies (natrium
muriaticum, ignatia as well as water treated according to
homeopathic procedure) and acids and/or bases gives
systematically an exothermic excess. The excess due to
interaction with acid is always lower than that with bases.
Interaction with reactives other than acids or bases does
not exhibit thermal excess. Thus we can firmly state that it
is possible to measure experimentally a chemical-physical
parameter, the mixing enthalpy, characterizing the peculiar
behaviour of the extremely diluted solutions used in
homeopathic medicine. The chemical composition of these
solutions is the same as that of the solvent (bidistilled
water) because of the high degree of dilution. Hence the
large exothermic heat excess cannot be attributed to the
presence of solute. It can be supposed as being due to a
different “water structure”, permanentely altered by
successive dilutions and succussions. Very remarkable informations about the phenomenon under
examination are drawn from a “calorimetric titration
procedure” of extremely diluted solution or of water
treated according to the homeopathic procedure. A
“titration” of homeopathic remedies implies the
determination of the excess heat, when test solutions at
different concentrations are mixed with the samples under
examination. By plotting the excess heat as a function of
the concentration of the reagent used (NaOH or HCl) a
“calorimetric titration curve” was obtained. The latter
bears a rich content of chemical-physical informations. In
fig.2 are reported three typical “calorimetric titration
curves” showing a common characteristic trend, i.e.: an
initial increase and a final stationary state showing the
end of the phenomenon. The intersection of these two trends
defines the abscissa of the “break point”, namely the
concentration of the reagent thas was necessary to exhaust
the thermal event. The final stationary state of the
“titration curves” gives information on the magnitude of
the thermal event. The latter was found to be dependent on:
a) the nature of the solute initially present in the
homeopathic remedy, b) the degree of dilution, c) the age of
the remedy, d) the thermal treatment of the remedy. On the
other hand, the abscissa of the “break point” was
instead practically independent of the parameters described
above. The concentration of the reagent at this “break
point” was constant, the value being 0.001 mol/kg of
solvent. Then a pH-dependent phenomenon was detected , its
heat response depends on the nature of the remedies and
their hystory and was probably related to an
disorder---order transition. 
Fig.2 Calorimetric titration curves I. natrium muriaticum 3CH, II.ignatia 3CH. III. treated
water 3CH The three different stationary states obtained in the
three “titration curves”, in the same experimental
conditions, showed in fig.2, could therefore play as
“finger prints”, useful for characterizing the
“nature” of the remedies. In fig. 3 two titration curves
are compared for the same sample, with and without thermic
treatment. We can notice that, after boiling, stationary
state increases, but the “break point” abscissa remains
constant. 
Fig.3 Calorimetric titration curves of treated water 1CH I. not boiled II. boiled for 1 hour Conclusions 1.- The procedure employed in preparing homeophatic
remedies alters the chemical-physical properties of water.
At the present state of the researches, it is possible to
experimentally evidenciate, using a calorimetric procedure
with acids or bases, different enthalpies of mixing when
using homeopathic remedies, with respect to those obtained
using the solvent (bidistilled water) . 2.- The “calorimetric titration” could be used as a
tool for characterizing remedies different in nature and/or
dilution degree. 3.- Studies comparing chemical-physical properties with
terapeutic ones, should be strongly encouraged. 4.- Systematic studies aimed to draw up a protocol
relative to procedures for preparing remedies should be
strongly encouraged as well. Last, but not least, the possibility exists to
hypothesize mechanisms capable of modifying the structure of
the water solvent, and therefore of “writing” on it
specific therapeutic informations. Also, on the mechanisms
through which the same informations can be transferred on
lactose, one of the most used carriers in the administration
of the remedy. In an attempt to account for the strong differences in
the excess heat of mixing, when the same remedy interacts
with acids and bases, it can be envisaged, in the
homeopathic remedy’s water, that two concentric domains
exist, differing from the structure of bulky water. The
outer domain, accessible by acid and base, is beleved to
contain informations on solute’s “nature”, as well as
on the dilution degree of the remedy. The innermost domain,
only accessible by the base, is thought to carry out a
stabilizing role for the entire system, that would allow the
transferring of informations, “written” on water, onto
lactose.
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