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As I’m reading about water cations and anions, I read that the benefits we gain from water are of course lots, but the most important of them is the neutralisation of acids ($\ce{H+}$) from the anions present in water such as: $\ce{HCO3-}$ , $\ce{CO3^2-}$ and $\ce{OH-}$.

Does this mean that the higher the concentration of bicarbonates, the better the quality for drinking?

Should we choose the bottle of water with the highest concentration of these anions?

And also, when boiling the water we loose bicarbonates, so is boiled water unhealthier?

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    $\begingroup$ You're reading pseudoscience. These are most likely people who write rubbish on the internet trying to manipulate people who don't know better for their own personal gain. $\endgroup$
    – orthocresol ♦
    Jun 18, 2015 at 11:45
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    $\begingroup$ Any bicarbonate in your water will be immediately neutralised by your stomach juices, so unless you are drinking several hundred litres of water, there would be literally no difference between drinking pH 7 water and pH 9 water. None of this has any impact on the pH in your bloodstream, which in any case cannot be messed with - it HAS to be maintained within the range of 7.35-7.45. $\endgroup$
    – orthocresol ♦
    Jun 18, 2015 at 11:51
  • $\begingroup$ I find the term neutralising bicarbonate slightly amusing since the stomach’s pH value is so low that protonating and letting decompose would be a lot more fitting ;) $\endgroup$
    – Jan
    Jun 18, 2015 at 11:57
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    $\begingroup$ Finally, there are places in Germany where tap water is slightly acidic due to the ground being acidic and that water isn’t unhealthy per se to the people living there (or others). You can safely drink all German tap water regardless of its pH. $\endgroup$
    – Jan
    Jun 18, 2015 at 12:00
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    $\begingroup$ Drinking nothing but water saturated with highly soluble carbonates/bicarbonates/hydroxides is one of the ways to die in two days or less. Plus the water will taste terrible. $\endgroup$
    – Nicolau Saker Neto
    Jun 18, 2015 at 17:03

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Does this mean that the higher the concentration of bicarbonates, the better the quality for drinking?

Not necessarily. This is more a subjective question involving what tastes good to you.

Should we choose the bottle of water with the highest concentration of these anions?

Assuming the water is actually monitored for safety/quality, the upper limit on caustic (hydroxide) alkalinity is likely too low to do any damage. And carbonate alkalinity will be limited by pH and equilibrium with atmospheric carbon dioxide. So: If it tastes good to you, then drink it.

And also, when boiling the water we loose bicarbonates, so is boiled water unhealthier?

When you boil water, you are increasing the concentration of dissolved species that do not boil off at that temperature. You can, for example, increase levels of nitrate and nitrite in water by boiling it, which is a bad idea if your water is contaminated by large amounts of nitrate/nitrite. Conversely, you can kill some if not all harmful bacteria in water by boiling it. And I don't think that boiling water results in the loss of bicarbonate in any measurable way, at least not on timescales we're interested in (like cooking).

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