CD6

2.1

The conductivity of various water samples

Besides undissolved solids and particles, natural waters

also contain dissolved substances. These are mostly dissolved salts, i.e. electrolytes. The conductivity of the course
of rivers subject to waste water effluents, for example, is
therefore regularly monitored. High conductivities can
result from in-washes after heavy downpours or from eluvation because of the geography. Should this not be the
case, they point to contamination by inorganic salts or, in
flowing water, of the transport of salts from distant regions.
In fresh-water lakes, the different mineral salt concentrations in various horizontal or vertical zones can be determined by conductivity measurements.
In this experiment, the conductivity of various water samples are to be determined.

Software Cobra3 CHEM-UNIT

14520.61* 1
Conductivity-temperature electrode
13701.01* 1
Wash bottle, 500 ml
33931.00 1
Beaker, DURAN, tall form, 50 ml
36001.00 1
Beaker, DURAN, tall form, 150 ml
36003.00 7
Bunsen support,
180 x 100 mm, l = 750 mm
37690.00 1
Right angle clamp
37697.00 2
Universal clamp
37715.00 1
Calibration solution, 1413 mS/cm, (25C)
47070.02 1
Distilled water, 5 l
31246.81 1
Water samples: Rainwater, drinking water, aquarium
water, river water, mineral water (2 different sorts)
PC, Windows

Materials (for the experimental procedure using the

CHEM-UNIT)
Cobra3 CHEM-UNIT
12153.00* 1
Cobra3 power supply
12151.99 1
Data cable 2 x SUB-D, 9 pin
14602.00 1

Set-up and procedure (using the Chem-Unit)

Set the apparatus up as shown in Fig. 1
Connect the conductivity-temperature probe to the
appropriate input of the Chem-Unit
Call up the Cobra3 Measure programme in Windows
and assign the Chem-Unit as measuring instrument

Fig. 1: Experimental set-up using the Chem-Unit

Phywe Series of publication Natural Sciences with Cobra3 Part 6 PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH D-37070 Gttingen

13701

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CD6
2.1

The conductivity of various water samples

Set the measurement data as shown in Fig. 2. In the

<Displays...> menu, set both Digital display 1 and
Diagram 1a (range 1-7 #) to conductivity (range 0 to
3000 mS/cm)
Set the temperature compensation in the <Preferences / Conductivity> menu to Pt 1000 temperature
probe and <Natural water>
Calibrate the conductivity probe by pouring calibration
solution into a 50 ml beaker, calling up <Calibrate /
conductivity> and entering the conductivity of the calibration solution (1.413 mS/cm). Should the probe
which is to be used have already been recently calibrated, however, then a new calibration is not necessary (automatic saving of calibration data)
Fix the universal clamp to the rod of the support stand
with a right angle clamp
Approximately half-fill a 150 ml beaker with distilled
(demineralized) water and place it on the base plate of
the stand
Use the universal clamp to so adjust the position of the
conductivity-temperature probe that it is completely
immersed in the water
Activate measurement with <Continue> and <Save
value>. The first measured value is then displayed
Half-fill a 150 ml beaker with rainwater, immerse the
electrode, wait a moment, then activate measurement
with <Save value>
Repeat as for rainwater with drinking water, aquarium
water, river water and two different sorts of mineral
water
At the end of the measurement, save the data in menu
<File> <Save measurement as...>

Results and evaluation

Fig. 3 shows a curve, as is displayed by the programme
after ending the measurement. The individual measured
values are listed in the following Table:

Fig. 2: Measurement parameters (Chem-Unit)

Fig. 3: Display of the measured conductivity values

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13701

Water sample

Conductivity (mS/cm)

Demineralized water

Rainwater

Drinking water

Aquarium water

River water

Mineral water 1

2385

Mineral water 2

2650

8,6
87
280
1080
690

The following can be taken as approximate values (from

the literature) for the electrical conductivity of waters:
Water sample
Distilled, deionized water

Conductivity
(mS/cm)
<3

Rainwater, snow-water

10-100

Very weakly mineralized surface water

50-200

Weakly mineralized surface water

200-500

Well mineralized
surface or spring water

500-2000

Mineral water

> 1000

EC Guidelines for drinking water

< 2000

Phywe Series of publication Natural Sciences with Cobra3 Part 6 PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH D-37070 Gttingen

CD6
2.1

The conductivity of various water samples

A comparison of the values in the Table shows that rainwater is a very weakly mineralized water, with a lower conductivity than drinking water, which is partly won from
ground water that has already been enriched with minerals. The very much higher conductivity of the water sample
from the aquarium leads to the conclusion that the water
has not been changed for some time. Mineral waters 1 and
2 were both waters that had been enriched in carbonic
acid, and, according to the labels, had a dissolved salt content of 2270 and 2650 mg/l. The water sample from the
river can be graded as a good mineral water. The river can
be considered to be a water which is relatively unburdened
with salts.
Experimental procedure using the Basic-Unit
The experiment using the Chem-Unit described above can
be analogously carried out using the Basic-Unit. For this,
the entries in the list of materials which are marked with an
asterisk must be replaced by the materials listed below.
The set-up and procedure are then also slightly different
(see below, in particular Fig. 4 and Fig. 5).

Fig. 5: Measurement parameters (Basic-Unit)

Fig. 4: Experimental set-up using the Basic-Unit

Phywe Series of publication Natural Sciences with Cobra3 Part 6 PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH D-37070 Gttingen

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CD6
2.1

The conductivity of various water samples

Changes in the materials required for use of the BasicUnit:

Cobra3 Basic-Unit
12150.00
1
Software Cobra3 conductivity
14508.61
1
Measuring module conductivity
12108.00
1
Conductivity probe, glass shaft l = 12 cm 18151.02
1
Temperature sensor, semiconductor type 12120.00
1
Set-up and procedure using the Basic-Unit
Prepare the set-up as in Fig. 4
Connect the conductivity electrode to the conductivity
measuring module and the temperature sensor to
input S2 of the Basic-Unit
Call up the Cobra3 Measure programme in Windows
and assign Cobra3 conductivity as measuring instrument
Set the measurement data as shown in Fig. 5
Carry on from here as with the Chem-Unit

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13701

Note
The measurement can also be carried out without a temperature probe, but then the temperature of the solution
must be entered by hand in the menu <Preferences /
Conductivity>, or, when using the Basic-Unit, in the field
<Temperature compensation>.
This experiment can also be carried out using hand-held
measuring instrument conductivity 07138.00, conductivity/temperature probe 13701.01, conductivity software
14418.61 and data cable 07157.01.

Phywe Series of publication Natural Sciences with Cobra3 Part 6 PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH D-37070 Gttingen