Water Quality Parameters: pH

Backing up to the previous section, let’s recall what makes up water. Two charged particles: H+ and OH- are what make up pure water. Remember that water in the environment is never pure; it is an aqueous solution containing many dissolved salts and even gases. The pH of a solution is a measure of the […]

Conductivity: Pure Water + NaCl

In these short videos, Dr. David Hobbs demonstrates the conductive properties of water. Conductivity refers to the amount of dissolved solids present in an aqueous solution, allowing it to conduct electricity. In this first video, Dr. Hobbs observes changes in conductivity when salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) is added to pure, or deionized, water. Right-click or […]

Structure & Properties of Water

The noblest of the elements is water. -Pindar, Greek Poet, 476 B.C. Of course, water is not an element, and almost everyone knows the chemical formula for the compound water: H2O. Many also know its bend arrangement, the atoms forming the H-O-H bonds. In Figure 1.1, both the bond angles and bond distances are represented. […]