WATER HARDNESS

TOTAL HARDNESS AND CALCIUM HARDNESS

OBJECTIVE:

To measure the amount of hardness of the sample of water provided.

THEORY:

Hard water is water that has a high mineral content and is formed when water percolates through
deposits of calcium and magnesium-containing minerals such as limestone, chalk and dolomite.

Hard drinking water is generally not harmful to health but can pose serious problems in industrial
settings, where water hardness is monitored to avoid costly breakdowns in boilers, cooling towers and
other equipment that handle water. In domestic settings, hard water is often indicated by a lack of
suds formation when soap is agitated in water and by the formation of limescale in kettles and water
heaters..

Hardness contributed by Calcium and Magnesium, bicarbonate and carbonate mineral species in
water is called carbonate hardness. Hardness in excess of this concentration is known as non-
carbonate hardness.
Water with hardness less than 61 mg/l is considered as soft, 61-120 mg/l is considered as moderately
hard while that with a hardness of between 121 to 180 mg/l is hard. Water with hardness greater than
180mg/l is very hard.
APPARATUS
Pipette
Conical flask

REAGENTS
Ammonia buffer solution
Calcium hardness tablet
Total hardness indicator tablet
N/50 EDTA solution
PROCEDURE:

Total hardness:

50ml of the sample was pipette into a conical flask and 1ml of ammonia buffer solution
added. This was followed by crushing one hardness indicator tablet and adding it to the
mixture. Standard N/50 EDTA solution was then titrated with constant stirring until the

F16/2604/2011
colour changed from purple to blue. The total hardness (as mg of CaCO3/l) was then
calculated as (ml of ETDA x 20).
Calcium hardness:

50ml of the sample was pipetted into a conical flask and 1ml of 4N sodium hydroxide added.
This was followed by crushing one calcium hardness indicator tablet and adding it to the
mixture. Standard N/50 EDTA was then titrated until the point when addition of 0.1ml of
EDTA produces no further colour change.

Readings and Calculations:

Total Hardness:

= 23.2

= 25.6

. = 2.4

= (. ) = /

Calcium hardness:

= 25.6

= 27.1

. = 1.5

= (. ) = /

Conclusion:

From the results the sample can be classified as soft water and is thus suitable for domestic
usage.

F16/2604/2011