Discussion

In this experiment, the manipulated variable is water sample. I have used rain water as my water
sample. The purpose of this experiment is to determine the amount of dissolved oxygen in water
sample and therefore the responding variable in this experiment is amount of dissolved oxygen.
The method used in this experiment is Winklers method. It is a technique used to determine the
amount of dissolved oxygen in water system ( Bruckner, n.d.). Good potable water will give a
D.O. value close to the theoretical value for a saturated solution for oxygen in water. The higher
the amount of dissolved oxygen, the lesser the pollution in the water body. A reagent bottle was
completely filled with water to the extent of overflowing to prevent the introducing of air that
will tend to affect the results. Manganese sulphate on combining with oxygen and alkalineiodine solution will convert Manganese (II) oxide into Manganese (III) oxide and form a brown
precipitate ( 12.097 Environmental Chemistry of Boston Harbor- IAP, 2006 ). Concentrated
sulphuric acid was then added to the solution to reduce the pH and dissolve the precipitate.
Oxygen in the water sample oxidizes iodide ion to iodine numerically. Titration with a standard
thiosulphate solution was later used to find out the amount of iodine generated. Starch is used as
a visual indicator to determine the endpoint( 12.097 Environmental Chemistry of Boston
Harbor- IAP, 2006 ). According to Tucker, ( n.d. ), starch was used an indicator due to its
highly visible colour change. Starch forms a dark blue-coloured compound when iodine is
present in the solution. Titration using thisoulphate solution turns the solution from brown to pale
yellow colour. Then , a few drops of starch is added. Starch forms a dark blue-coloured
compound when iodine is present in the solution. The titration turns from blue to colourless,
when the triiodide is used up by titration. Starch is added at the end of titration because it has a
tendency to decompose in acidic media, destroying its indicator qualities. ( A Volumetric
Analysis ( Redox Titration ) ), n.d. )
Concentration of dissolved oxygen in rain water from Kajang is 6.60 mg/L. It is low comparing
to the concentration of dissolved oxygen in Table 1, which is 7.6-9.2mg/L. As the area is located
in the urban district, the area is contaminated with waste and pollutants specifically smoke from
vehicle. Water exposed to the atmosphere becomes acidic because of dissolved carbon dioxide
and hydrogen ions in air which results in acid rain. The contaminants serve as food for
microorganisms, which allows them to multiply and release carbon dioxide as product of
respiration and thus, reducing the concentration of dissolved oxygen in rain water ( What Tests
Are Run On Water? n.d.).
Water with different concentration of dissolved oxygen allows us to identify which type of water
is safe to be used and consume. Higher concentration of dissolved oxygen indicates that the
water is clean and safe. Water with higher concentration creates a safer surrounding for aquatic
animals and also to us, humans. Measurement of dissolved oxygen in water can prevent us from
consuming bad quality water and thus, reduces the risk of us being harmed. Water sample with
high concentration of dissolved oxygen has less bacteria and microorganisms because the
temperature is colder. Low temperature makes it hard for microorganisms to breed in it.

The few results obtained from this experiment is 6.60 mg/L , 7.30 mg/L and 7.68 mg/L
concentration of dissolved oxygen. The water sample with the highest concentration of dissolved
oxygen is from the Flora Green Condo swimming pool with a ppm of 7.68 mg/L. Chlorine is
added into it to keep swimming pools free from bacteria that can be hazardous to humans. The
chlorine solution killed both microorganisms and bacteria. Thus, no bacteria is present in the
pool to use up the oxygen to carry out its cellular respiration ( How does chlorine work to clean
swimming pools? 2001 ). The ppm of 7.30 mg/L from the aquarium tank water indicates that is
has higher concentration of dissolved oxygen. The ppm of the water is quite high because a high
concentration of dissolved oxygen is necessary for the life of aquatic animals. While carbon
dioxide is being released from the water into the air, oxygen is absorbed from air into water to
increase the oxygen content in the tank water, providing oxygen for the fish to breathe. The
lowest ppm of water sample is rain water from Saujana Impian, Kajang with 6.60 mg/L. The rain
water is contaminated due to the combination of water with, carbon dioxide, hydrogen ions and
other contaminants. Contaminated water makes it favorable for microorganisms to breed it, thus
using the oxygen.
Water at low temperature can hold more oxygen then high temperature. As the temperature goes
up, water releases some of its oxygen into the air. Warmer water has a small amount of dissolved
oxygen and thus a higher chance of microorganisms growing. Microorganisms uses oxygen for
cellular respiration. When the oxygen is used up by the microorganisms, the concentration of
dissolved oxygen will too, decrease. At a higher temperature, plants grow and die faster, leaving
behind matter that requires oxygen for decomposition ( Water Quality, n.d.). The continuation
use of oxygen due to the increase of temperature results in the low concentration of dissolved
oxygen. The solubility of gases in water is usually decreased by the increase of electrolyte.
When an ionic salt like NaCl is added to water, the ions from the salt will attract the water
molecules in an effort to "solvate" the ions. This has the tendency to decrease the weak affinity
of non-polar oxygen molecules to water and drive the dissolved oxygen out of the polar water.
Therefore, the solubility of dissolved oxygen is affected by the presence other solutes in the
solution. ( Does Salt Concentration Or Salinity Of Water Affect Solubility of Oxygen, n.d.).
There are a few precautions in this experiment. First, when undergoing titration process, make
sure to swirl the conical flask continuously to ensure complete mixing of reactants. Besides that,
the tip of the pipette must be below the surface of the solution to stop air from entering the
pipette. Other than that, the reagent bottle must be filled till overflowing to prevent any air from
entering the water sample.
Conclusion
The concentration of dissolved oxygen in pool water of Flora Green Condominium is 7.68 mg/L
The concentration of dissolved oxygen in rain water from Kajang is 6.60 mg/L
The concentration of dissolved oxygen in aquarium tank water is 7.30 mg/L

Reference :
12.097 Environmental Chemistry of Boston Harbor IAP (2006). Retrieved from

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