Knowledge Flow

Water - Exercise 3(C)

Solution 1
The composition of water is 2 atoms of hydrogen with 1 atom of oxygen (H2O).
By number of atoms, they combine in the ratio 2:1.

Question 2
What is the use of solubility of oxygen and carbon dioxide in water?

Solution 2
Air dissolved in water is biologically very important.
• Oxygen dissolved in water is used by marine life like fish for respiration, and thus,
marine life is sustained.
• Aquatic plants make use of dissolved carbon dioxide in photosynthesis to prepare
food.
• Carbon dioxide dissolved in water reacts with calcium carbonate to form calcium
bicarbonate.
Marine organisms such as oysters and snails extract calcium carbonate from calcium
bicarbonate to build their shells.

Question 3
Hot saturated solution of sodium nitrate forms crystals as it cools. Why?

Solution 3
Solubility of sodium nitrate decreases with a fall in temperature. Thus, when a hot
saturated solution of sodium nitrate cools, it forms crystals as it separates from the
solution.
 Question 4
What are hydrous substances? Explain with examples.

Solution 4
Substances which contain water molecules along with salt are hydrated substances.
Examples: Sodium carbonate decahydrate: Na2CO3.10H2O
Copper sulphate pentahydrate: CuSO4.5H2O

Question 5
Name three methods[CM1] by which hydrous substances can be made anhydrous.

Solution 5
Methods by which hydrous substances can be made anhydrous:
• By heating
• Exposure to dry air

Question 6
What is the importance of dissolved impurities in water?

Solution 6
The dissolved impurities in water are salts and minerals.
• Dissolved salts provide specific taste to water.
• Salts and minerals are essential for growth and development.
• They supply the essential minerals needed by our body.

Question 7
State two ways by which a saturated solution can be changed to unsaturated solution.

Solution 7
• On heating, a saturated solution becomes unsaturated and more solute can be dissolved
in the solution.
• By adding more solvent, a saturated solution can be made unsaturated.

Question 8
What do you understand by
a. Soft water
b. Hard water
c. Temporary hard water
d. Permanent hard water

Solution 8
a. Water is said to be soft when the water containing sodium salts easily gives lather
with soap.
b. Water is said to be hard when it does not readily form lather with soap.
c. Water which contains only hydrogen carbonates of calcium and magnesium is called
temporary hard water.
 d. Water containing sulphates and chlorides of magnesium and calcium is called
permanent hard water.

Question 9
What are the causes for
a. Temporary hardness
b. Permanent hardness

Solution 9
a. The presence of hydrogen carbonates of calcium and magnesium makes water
temporarily hard.
b. The presence of sulphates and chlorides of magnesium and calcium makes water
permanently hard.

Question 10
What are the advantages of (i) soft water and (ii) hard water?

Solution 10
i. Advantages of soft water:
• When the water is soft, you use much less soap and fewer cleaning products. Your
budget will reflect your savings.
• Plumbing will last longer. Soft water is low in mineral content and therefore does not
leave deposits in the pipes.
• Clothes last longer and remain bright longer if they are washed in soft water.
ii. Advantages of hard water:
• Water free from dissolved salts has a very flat taste. The presence of salts in hard water
makes it tasty. So, hard water is used in making beverages and wines.
• Calcium and magnesium salts present in small amounts in hard water are essential for
bone and teeth development.
• Hard water checks the poisoning of water by lead pipes. When these pipes are used for
carrying water, some lead salts dissolve in water to make it poisonous. Calcium
sulphate present in hard water forms insoluble lead sulphate in the form of a layer
inside the lead pipe and this checks lead poisoning.

Question 11
What are stalgmites and stalactites? How are they formed?

Solution 11
In some limestone caves, conical pillar-like objects hang from the roof and some rise
from the floor. These are formed by water containing dissolved calcium hydrogen
carbonate continuously dropping from the cracks in the rocks. Release of pressure
results in the conversion of some hydrogen carbonate to calcium carbonate.
Ca(HCO3)2 → CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O
 This calcium carbonate little by little and slowly deposit on both roof and floor of the
cave.
The conical pillar which grows downwards from the roof is called stalactite and the one
which grows upward from the floor of the cave is called stalagmite.
These meet after a time. In a year, some grow less than even a centimetre, but some may
be as tall as 100 cm.
CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O → Ca(HCO3)2
MgCO3 + CO2 + H2O → Mg(HCO3)2
If the water flows over beds of gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O), a little bit of gypsum gets
dissolved in water and makes it hard.

Question 12
Name the substance which makes water (i) temporarily hard and (ii) permanently hard.

Solution 12
i. Hydrogen carbonates of calcium and magnesium
ii. Sulphates and chlorides of magnesium and calcium

Question 13
Give equations to show what happens when temporary hard water is
a. Boiled
b. Treated with slaked lime

Solution 13
a. Ca(HCO3)2 CaCO3 + H2O + CO2↑
Mg(HCO3)2 MgCO3 + H2O + CO2↑
b. Ca(HCO3)2 + Ca(OH)2 2CaCO3 + 2H2O
Mg(HCO3)2+ Ca(OH)2 MgCO3 + 2H2O

Question 14
State the disadvantages of using hard water.

Solution 14
• It is more difficult to form lather with soap.
• Scum may form in a reaction with soap, wasting the soap.
• Carbonates of calcium and magnesium form inside kettles. This wastes energy
whenever you boil a kettle.
• Hot water pipes 'fur up'. Carbonates of calcium and magnesium start to coat the inside
of pipes which can eventually get blocked.

Question 15
What is soap? For what is it used?
 Solution 15
Soap is chemically a sodium salt of stearic acid (an organic acid with the formula
C17H35COOH) and has the formula C17H35COONa.
Soap is used for washing purposes.

Question 16
What is the advantage of a detergent over soap?

Solution 16
Detergents are more soluble in water than soap and are unaffected by the hardness of
water as their calcium salts are soluble in water.

Question 17
Why does the hardness of water render it unfit for use in a (i) boiler and (ii) for washing
purposes.

Solution 17
i. Steam is usually made in boilers which are made of a number of narrow copper tubes
surrounded by fire. As the cold water enters these tubes, it is immediately changed
into steam, while the dissolved solids incapable of changing into vapour deposit on
the inner walls of the tubes. This goes on and makes the bore of the tubes narrower.
The result is that less water flows through the tubes at one time and less steam is
produced. When the bore of the tube becomes very narrow, the pressure of the steam
increases so much that at times the boiler bursts.
ii. If hard water is used, calcium and magnesium ions of the water combine with the
negative ions of the soap to form a slimy precipitate of insoluble calcium and
magnesium usually called soap curd (scum).
Formation of soap curd will go on as long as calcium and magnesium ions are present.
Till then, no soap lather will be formed and cleaning of clothes or body will not be
possible. Moreover, these precipitates are difficult to wash from fabrics and sometimes
form rusty spots if iron salts are present in water.

Question 18
Explain with equation, what is noticed when permanent hard water is treated with
a. Slaked time
b. Washing soda

Solution 18
a. Slaked lime
Ca(HCO3)2 + Ca(OH)2 2CaCO3 + 2H2O
Mg(HCO3)2+ Ca(OH)2 MgCO3 + CaCO3 + 2H2O
Lime is first thoroughly mixed with water in a tank and then fed into another tank
containing hard water. Revolving paddles thoroughly mix the two solutions. Most of
 the calcium carbonate settles down. If there is any solid left over, it is removed by a
filter. This is known as Clarke's process.
b. Washing soda
When washing soda or soda ash is added to hard water, the corresponding insoluble
carbonates settle down and can be removed by filtration.
Ca(HCO3)2 + Na2CO3 CaCO3 + 2NaHCO3
Mg(HCO3)2+ Na2CO3 MgCO3 + 2NaHCO3

Question 19
Explain the permutit method for softening hard water.

Solution 19
Permutit is an artificial zeolite. Chemically, it is hydrated
sodium aluminium orthosilicate with the formula Na2Al2Si2O8.XH2O. For the sake of
convenience, let us give it the formula Na2P.

A tall cylinder is loosely filled with lumps of permutit. When hard water containing
calcium and magnesium ions percolates through these lumps, ions exchange.
Sodium permutit is slowly changed into calcium and magnesium permutit, and the
water becomes soft with the removal of calcium and magnesium ions.
When no longer active, permutit is regenerated by running a concentrated solution of
brine over it and removing calcium chloride formed by repeated washing.
CaP + 2NaCl → Na2P + CaI2