Water

CHEM 02LN
Experiment No. 2
Properties and purification of Water
Introduction:
Water is a ubiquitous molecule. Household and industrial activities have considered water as essential and
used it pervasively. Its properties have been extensively studied through the years, mainly to expand its possible
applications. One of the prevailing properties of water is its ability to dissolve various substances. It can dissolve
gases and minerals. Dissolved minerals make the water “hard.” Water hardness can be temporary or permanent, and
may present a problem in households and industries. A myriad of techniques have been developed to remedy this
problem.
For this experiment, students will be introduced to some properties of water. Purification techniques to
remedy water hardness will also be demonstrated.
Objective: At the end of the experiment, the students should be able to:
1. Identify and explain some properties of water:

2. Give the function of each part of a simple distillation setup;
3. Discuss how water can be purified by distillation and addition of a softener: and
4. Rationalize the difference in hardness of various kinds of water.
Pre-Lab Exercise:
1. Define the following terms:
a. Surface tension
b. Viscosity
2. What causes water hardness? Which of these can cause permanent or temporary hardness?
3. How is water purified by the following techniques?
a. Distillation
b. Flocculation
Apparatus: small pan, ruler, scissors, needle, stirring rod, 4pcs. vials, 2 pcs. 100-mL beakers
Materials:
tissue paper (2 cm x 3 cm) tap water
glycerol boiled tap water
distilled water muddy water
standard soap solution 1% aluminum sulfate solution
detergent solution
Procedure: PART 1
A. Surface Tension
1. Prepare a small pan and fill it with tap water up to 3 cm deep. Cut a small tissue, approximately around 2
cm x 3 cm, and place it on top of the water. The tissue paper will stay on top.
2. Carefully place a small needle on the surface of the tissue paper. Observe.
3. Use a dropper and add a drop of liquid detergent solution (add it on the water and not on the needle).
Observe closely what happens to the needle.
B. Solubility
1. Prepare four vials. Place 2 mL of the following liquids and label each vial accordingly.
IA – distilled water IIA – distilled water
IB – glycerol IIB – glycerol
2. Using a 100-mL beaker, prepare a boiling water bath. Immerse the vials labelled as IIA and IIB in the boiling
water bath.
3. After 3 – 4 minutes, remove the vials from the water bath. Gently shake the vials. Try to pour out the liquid
from vial IIA. Is there a difference in their movement with vial IA? Which is more viscous?
4. Repeat procedure B3 on vial IIB. Pour the contents of vial IIB into a designated glycerol Note down the
difference in the movement of the liquid in vial IIB with vial IB
C. Purification of Water by Flocculation
1. Set up two vials on a vial rack. To each, add 3 mL of muddy water. Add separately to each vial the following
and label the vials properly.
Vial 1 – 3 mL of distilled water (control)

Vial 2 – 3 mL of 1% aluminum sulfate solution
2. Stir each vial thoroughly. Allow the vials to stand undisturbed. Look for a separation of a precipitate and a
clarification of the upper portion of the water. Record your observations after 5 minutes and compare the
two vials.
----end of Part 1------
D. Hardness of Water (Part 2)
1. Prepare three vials. To each vial, place 2 mL each of the following: distilled water, tap water and boiled tap
water (from the counter).
2. To the first vial, add standard soap solution drop by drop. Stopper the vial and shake for 10 seconds after
adding each drop. Count and record the number of drops of standard soap solution needed to obtain a thick
layer of suds. The suds that formed in the distilled water sample will serve as your reference sample. Save
this for comparison. Shake the vial again, if necessary, to reform the suds.
3. Repeat procedure D2 separately on the tap water and boiled tap water. Record the number of drops of
standard soap solution for each type of water. Observe the resulting mixture for each type of water.
BED-SHS-Chemistry_SY2023-2024

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CHEM 02LN

1. Identify and explain some properties of water:

C. Purification of Water by Flocculation

Vial 1 – 3 mL of distilled water (control)

----end of Part 1------

D. Hardness of Water (Part 2)

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