The Accuracy of Gravimetric Analysis in Determining the Amount of Calcium Carbonate in Hard Water
In this experiment, the problem was determining the suitability of gravimetric analysis when measuring the hardness of water in the form of calcium carbonate. These results provide crucial information towards discovering the most effective method in softening hard water.
In order to obtain these results, a general method was followed in which vacuum filtration was utilized to isolate the precipitate formed from the reaction between a hard water calcium chloride solution and a sodium carbonate solution. After the sample precipitates were dried and weighed, the masses obtained were used to calculate the percent yield and average water hardness for each sample.
The results produced from this experiment showed that gravimetric analysis was effective, contradicting the hypothesis. A one-sample t confidence interval was calculated for each type of water, and all of the intervals containing the true water hardness for each were deemed reliable. This information is extremely important to the field of water purification and to society in general. After discovering the basic properties of calcium in hard water and the effectiveness of gravimetric analysis, scientists may conduct extended research on this subject. Furthermore, municipal water plants that use alternative methods to treat hard water may be informed about the efficiency of gravimetric analysis and advance upon it accordingly. As a result, the entire world collectively benefits from this research.
Research Conducted By:
Megan Phillips
Lakeview High School
Mahima Rahman
Warren Mott High School
Warren Consolidated Schools