Yarmouk University

Hajjawi faculty for Engineering Technology

Department of Civil Engineering

Name: Ashraf Smadi

ID: 2011888019

Sanitary laboratory

Experiment #5: Hardness

Instructor: Eng. Saja al Theeb

Course no: CE 453
Section: #3
Group #1
Date of Submission: 28-3-2017
Abstract:
Hardness if tendency of water not to react with soap or
tendency of water not to form a scale, which is due to the
presence of divalent cat-ions mainly Ca+2 and Mg+2. In
order to determine the hardness some indicators will be
used. Hardness is most frequently measured through
application of the principle of chelation. Metals are
capable of sharing electron pairs with a molecule or ion to
form a coordination bond. These ions or molecule called
chelating agents if it have more than one free electron
pairs to share. As the number of these bonds increase the
stability of a chelate increase, one of the most used
chelating agent in analytical chemistry is ethylene
diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA). This chelating agent is
used to find the conc. of calcium and magnesium ions.
Another chelating agent used is metallochromic which
can be used also as an indicator

Objectives ;-

To introduce the concept of complex formation and

stability ,and illustrate the analytical application of these
concept s to the measurement of calcium ,magnesium
and total hardness in water.

Importance ;-
Hardness is a measurement of calcium and magnesium
along with other minerals in the water. A hardness that is
too high will have too much algae and hardness that is
too low will have too little vegetation. Koi require
somewhat harder water because it prevents the salts
within fish to be diffused through their gills and lowers
the stresses on the fish. We are looking for levels
between 150 300 ppm. Different salt solutions (except
table salt) can be added to the water to increase the
hardness.

Many minerals may dissolve in water as it moves through

the ground. Of
these, calcium and magnesium are the ones that
commonly make water "hard." Hard water (20 180 mg/l)
uses more soap in cleaning, causes formation of a soapy
film on fixtures, and can cause clothes to wear out
prematurely. Very hard water (more than 200 mg/l) can
cause scale to form in pipes and appliances.
Hardness in water does not have any adverse health
effect and WHO has not established a recommended
maximum level. One reason it is included in the test kit is
that in some circumstances water hardness can be a
convenient way to distinguish between two different
aquifers.

The importance of hardness testing to the heat treatment

industry is underlined by this case study of Jasco Heat
Treatment. The tests they use and the quality and
maintenance of their equipment are extremely important
in maintaining good customer relations.

it can become confusing as there are several units of

measurement currently used to determine water
hardness. The most commonly used method measures
both alkalinity and general hardness as mg /litre of
calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Another common
measurement, used by Tetra, is German hardness
measured as odH. These compare as seen in table 1.

Calcium
Water dH
carbonate (mg/L)

Soft 0 - 75 0 - 4

Moderately
75 - 150 4 - 8
Hard

Hard 150 - 300 8 - 16

Very Hard >300 > 16

Table 1: Typical Water Hardness Ranges

To convert dH to CaCO3 multiply by 17.9
Theory:
Hardness of water is measure of its capacity to
precipitate soap and is caused by the presence of
divalent cat ions of mainly calcium and magnesium
.other cat ions may also be present in smaller quantity
,and are usually insignificant.
*Discussion:
A water sample is buffered to pH 10.1 and taken in to a
conical flask. If an indicator dye like EBT, when added to a
solution containing Calcium and Magnesium ions, the
color of the solution turns to wine red. EDTA, the titrant,
complexes with Magnesium and Calcium ions, removing
them from association with the indicator. When all the
Mg+2 and Ca+2 are complexed with EDTA, the indicator
will turn blue. This is the end point of the titration. In the
other hand its easily to remove carbonate hardness by
boiling while it needs chemical reactions to remove the
non-carbonates hardness Hardness determination is
based on the principle of chelation. Murexide indicator
changes in color from purple to violent and it's used to
measure the Ca+2 hardness while EBT changes in color
from red-wine into blue and it's used to measure total
hardness. Water contains relatively high concentration of
and other divalent cautious is called hard water. The
presence of Ca+2, Mg +2, is generally not a health
threat, they can make water unsuitable for some
household uses. Using CaO and soda ash can be used to
remove permanent non- carbonate hardness, which
cannot be removed by boiling water as in carbonate
hardness (Temporary)

*Conclusion:
Hardness is the property which makes water to form an
insoluble precipitate with soap and is primarily due to the
presence of calcium and magnesium ions. Hard waters
have no known adverse health effects and may be more
palatable than soft waters. Hard water is primarily of
concern because it requires more soap for effective
cleaning, causes yellowing of fabrics, toughens
vegetables cooked in the water and forms scales in
boilers, water heaters, pipes and cooking utensils. The
hardness of good quality water should not exceed 250
mg/L measured as calcium carbonate equivalents. Waters
softer than 30 to 50 mg/L may be corrosive to piping
depending on pH, alkalinity and dissolved oxygen. The
major hardness in water is due to Ca, Mg ions and other
divalent ions. Hardness of water is measure of its
capacity to precipitate soap and other industrial using .
The ammonia buffer which is used in the test aids in
preventing precipitation of metal ions. Hardness caused
by Ca is higher than hardness of Mg. As EDTA is added
to solution it combines with Ca first and then with Mg
because the EDTA complex is more stable than the Mg
complex.

*References:
1. Lab manual
2. Lab notes
3.Wikipedia