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Drinking hard water reduces the incidence of heart disease.

Water

Revise GCSE Chemistry water: learn what hard water is, how temporary hardness is removed, and why water treatment matters. Read the notes, then try the quiz below.

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Fascinating Fact:

Temporary hardness is usually caused by hydrogencarbonate ions. Boiling can remove it by forming insoluble calcium carbonate.

In GCSE Chemistry, the Water topic includes hard and soft water, how hardness affects homes and industry, and ways to treat water. You will learn the difference between temporary and permanent hardness, what causes limescale, and why some methods remove hardness more effectively than others.

  • Hard water: Water containing dissolved calcium or magnesium ions.
  • Limescale: A solid deposit, mainly calcium carbonate, that forms when hard water is heated.
  • Ion: A charged particle formed when an atom or group of atoms gains or loses electrons.
What causes temporary hardness in water?

Temporary hardness is caused by dissolved calcium or magnesium hydrogencarbonate. It forms when rainwater dissolves minerals in limestone and carries these ions into rivers and reservoirs.

How does boiling remove temporary hardness?

Boiling breaks down hydrogencarbonate ions and produces insoluble calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate forms a solid that can be filtered out, so the water becomes softer.

What is the difference between temporary and permanent hardness?

Temporary hardness is removed by boiling because it involves hydrogencarbonates. Permanent hardness is caused by sulfates or chlorides of calcium or magnesium and needs other treatments, such as ion exchange.

1 .
What is a saturated solution?
A solution in which as much solute as possible has been dissolved
A solution in which a small amount of solute has been dissolved
A solution in which some solute has been dissolved
A solution in which no solute has been dissolved
Solute = the substance that has been dissolved
2 .
What effect does increasing the temperature have on the amount of solute that can be dissolved?
More solute can be dissolved
There is no difference in the amount of solute that can be dissolved
Less solute can be dissolved
More solvent is dissolved
As a saturated solution cools down, the solute crystallises and can be seen as a precipitate
3 .
The amount of substance that will dissolve in a solvent is affected by the temperature of the solvent. The effect of the change in temperature can be seen on a graph called a...
solubility graph
solvent curve
solubility curve
solvent graph
Solubility curves can be useful to predict how much solute will form when a hot solution is cooled down
4 .
There is another factor that affects the solubility of gases apart from temperature. What is this other factor?
Density
Pressure
Boiling point
Molecular mass
Scuba divers sometimes suffer from the bends, medically called decompression sickness. This is a painful and potentially lethal condition. At depth, the increased water pressure causes more gases to be dissolved in the blood. If the diver comes back to the surface too fast, instead of these gases leaving the bloodstream in the lungs, they form bubbles in the blood itself
5 .
As the temperature increases, the solubility of gases...
increases
decreases
remains the same
It is impossible to generalise
This is the opposite way round to solubility of solids. Although tropical seas have a greater variety of life than polar seas, less oxygen and other gases are dissolved in it
6 .
Pick the pair of compounds that are found in 'hard' water.
Sodium compounds and magnesium compounds
Calcium compounds and manganese compounds
Caesium compounds and magnesium compounds
Calcium compounds and magnesium compounds
If it is the hydrogen carbonate of these two ions that is dissolved in the water, heating it will cause the insoluble carbonate to form, removing the hardness. Permanent hardness occurs when the chlorides or sulfates are dissolved - they remain dissolved even when heated
7 .
Pick the equation that shows the effect of heat on the dissolved calcium compounds in hard water.
Ca2+ + 2HCO3- → CaCO3 + H2O + CO
Ca2+ + 2HCO3- → CaCO + H2O + CO2
Ca2+ + 2HCO3- → CaCO3 + H2O + CO2
Ca2+ + HCO3- → CaCO3 + H2O + CO2
Most metal carbonates are insoluble in water
8 .
What unwanted material can hard water produce in heating appliances, e.g. kettles and irons?
Scum
Scale
Scurry
Soap
This scale builds up on heating elements making them less efficient because the scale is a poor conductor of heat
9 .
Soft water does not contain the dissolved substances that hard water does. It is possible to soften hard water by removing the offending ions. Pick the two methods for softening water.
Using baking soda and using an ion-exchange column
Using water soda and using an element-exchange column
Using washing soda and using an ion-exchange column
Using washing powder and using an ion-exchange column
The washing soda precipitates out calcium and magnesium ions as insoluble carbonates. The ion-exchange column 'exchanges' calcium and magnesium ions for sodium ions which do not cause hardness
10 .
There is a possible health advantage to drinking hard water. What is it?
It could reduce the incidence of obesity
It could reduce the incidence of strokes
It could reduce the incidence of diabetes
It could reduce the incidence of heart disease
This has not been proven beyond doubt but there are a number or large scale studies which back up this claim
You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Water

Author:  Kate Gardiner (Chemistry Educator & GCSE Quiz Writer)

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