High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)‐grade water was evaluated as an alternative extraction reagent to acid extraction of plant tissue. Green and red bell pepper fruit (Capsium annuumvar.annuumL.), cultivar Pip; sweet corn internodes (Zea maysL.), cultivar Florida Staysweet; cabbage wrapper leaves (Brassica oleraceaL. Capitata group), cultivar Solid Blue 770; peach leaves [Prunus persica(L.) Batsch], cultivar Coronet; and mixed leaves and stems of cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.), cultivar Delta Pine 51; or okra [Abelmoschus esculentus(L.) Moench], cultivar Spineless Green Pod were extracted with HPLC‐grade water or 5 mM hydrochloric‐ (HCl), acetic‐, or citric‐acids. Ashed and fresh ground tissues were used for extraction with HCl. Cations and anions were determined by ion chromatography. In about 95% of occurrences, concentrations of ions in tissues extracted with HPLC‐grade water were equal to, or greater than, those extracted with acids. Therefore, extraction of plant tissues with HPLC‐grade water is recommended. Fewer waste disposal problems will also occur with water extraction of plant tissues.