WATER. TEMPORARY HARDNESS OF WATER Water is one of the most common substance on Earth, especially liquid. Natural water is not chemically pure; water contains soluble salts dissolved during the passing through soil. Depending, ‘on the purpose of use, there are different sorts of water each one with established quality conditions, Industrial water is used for filling the steam boilers, for heating or cooling or as raw material ifferent fabrication processes. For this purpose, water must be neutral (no acidic pH) and must be free of dissolved oxygen, otherwise corrosion occur. Acids in water come from the dissolved caleium and magnesium dicarbonate that exist in hard water. Hardness is the property that dissolved salts of calcium and magnesium give to water. Soluble salts of calcium and magnesium can transform in insoluble salts like calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. These solid salts can be deposited on the boiler walls, forming crusts. Heat can’t be transmitted properly, so the fuel consumption increase and also can exist the explosion danger. Water hardness Hardness exists in water when the calcium and magnesium salts are dissolved. Depending on the behavior of these salts when water is boiled and the nature of the anions, hardness can be: a) temporary hardness (H), impart by calcium bicarbonate Ca(HCOs): and magnesium bicarbonate Mg(HCO;)2; ) permanent hardness (H,), impart by the others dissolved calcium and magnesium salts (excluding bicarbonates), e.g, chlorides, nitrates, sulphates, etc.; ©) total hardness (Hz), sum of the permanent and temporary hardness. Water hardness is measured in hardness degree, usually in German or French degrees. If the content in soluble calcium and magnesium salts for 100 mL hard water is equivalent with 1 mg CaO, water“have one German degree of hardness.If the content in solyble calcium and magnesium salts for 100 mL hard water is equivalent with 1 mg CaCO3, water have one French degree of hardness. Temporary hardness determination Temporary hardness of water is impart by the dissolved calcium and magnesium bicarbonate. It is called “temporary hardness” because in time (or, rapidly, by boiling) it disappear, the calcium and magnesium bicarbonate are transformed in neutral carbonates. Ca(HCOs)3 = CaCO; + CO, + H:0 Mg(HCO;): = MgCOs + CO: + #0 Because of the hydrolysis of calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate, water have alkaline character. Principle: a known volume of hard water is titrated with standard solution of hydrochloric acid, in presence of methyl orange. Ca(HCO;)2 + 2HCI= CaCl, + 2CO2 + 2,0 Mg(HCO;)2 + 2HCI= MgCl; + 2CO; + 2H;0 Experimental = using a pipette, a volume of 100 mL of hard water is measured in an Erlenmayer flask; = two drops of methyl orange are added. In hard water methyl orange in light orange; = the sample is titrated using hydrochloric acid solution 0.1N from a burette till color is change to red orange; = the volume of hydrochloric acid used is read on the burette at the equivalence point. Let be V mL this volume, Calculation = using the equivalents law, the quantity of calcium and magnesium ions is calculated = the calculated content of calcium and magnesium ions is expressed as mg CaO and mg CaCO; respectively.German degrees of hardness = Vici x fii x 2.8 French degrees of hardness = Vici x fic x 5 2.8 and 5 are the transformation coefficients of calcium and magnesium ions content in calcium oxide and calcium carbonate respectivelly. Results will be expressed in the next table: Volume of hard Vici (mL) faa Degrees of water hardness water (mL) | German French 100 | 100 | 100 ‘Average value: |