Water Flashcards
What is hard water?
It’s water that will not easily form a lather with soap
What is the hardness caused by?
Calcium and magnesium ions
What are soap molecules?
Sodium or potassium salts of long chain carboxylic acids such as stearic acid eg, sodium stearate
What occurs when soap is dissolved in hard water
Magnesium and calcium ions will immediately precipitate with the dissolved stearate ions forming insoluble calcium stearate or magnesium stearate which appear as scum
What occurs when soap is continuously added to the water?
All the calcium and magnesium ions will eventually be precipitated with stearate ions and then soap molecule will at last be available to from a lather
What are the disadvantages of hard water?
Difficult to from a lather with soap
Scum may be formed in the reaction with soap, wasting the soap
Lime scale forms inside kettles, which wastes the energy whenever you need to boil the kettle
How can we avoid these problems?
Methods of removing hardness, softening the water may be used such as ion exchange and distillation
What do the methods of removing hardness involve? [calcium and magnesium sulfates and chlorines]
Remove calcium and magnesium ions to prevent them from precipitation with the soap anions
How do you remove hardness caused by dissolved calcium hydrogen carbonate and magnesium hydrogen carbonate?
Removed by boiling such hardness is temporary
What is temporary hardness?
Temporary hardness is hardness in water that can be removed by boiling
Where is temporary hard water found?
Parts of the country where there is limestone ie, calcium carbonate is found in the earth
What are the advantages of hard water?
Some people prefer the taste
Calcium ions in the water are good for bones and teeth
What causes temporary hardness?
Calcium ions are not readily available to cause hardness as calcium carbonate is insoluble in water. However as rain fails, the water comes in contact with the co2 in the atmosphere. Co2 is fairly soluble in water. Some of this solution then reacts with the water forming the weak acid, carbonic acid [h2co3] which results in a dilute solution of carbonic acid falls on the ground and seeps in the earth. Calcium carbonate reacts with the carbonic acid forming soluble calcium hydrogencarbonate
Calcium hydrogencarbonate is soluble in water and so the presence of dissolved calcium ions now means the water is hard
How do you remove temporary hardness?
Ion exchange and by distillation and also boiling
How is temporary hardness removed by boiling?
If a hydrogencarbonate is heated, it decomposes and becomes a carbonate, co2 and water eliminated