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Water Hardness Essay

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Introduction:
Water is an important substance that is needed all around the world. Freshwater is not completely pure though. It has dissolved solutes from minerals, and gases from the atmosphere. The presence of dissolved ions in water gives it a chemical property that is called water hardness. Water hardness refers to a liquid that has a high concentration of minerals, but those minerals are typically Ca2+, and Mg2+. Water that has a very low concentration of these elements is called “soft”. This chemical property can be measured as concentrations in molarity, M; parts per million, ppm; and grains per gallon1.
Once you measure the hardness of water, there’s a scale you could compare it to. If the measurement of the water is less than 17.1 ppm, the classification of that is that the water is soft. The classification of water being 17.1-60 ppm is that it’s slightly hard. If the water is 60-120 ppm the classification of that water is moderately hard. If the water is 120-180 ppm it’s said to be hard. Anything over 180 ppm is considered very hard.2
It is important to study the hardness of water because of the of the problems that can arise when left untreated. Hard water can cause a build-up in plumbing fixtures or water heaters. This happens when calcium carbonate is deposited as calcite crystals on the inner surface of pipes, and evaporator surfaces. The build-up can cause a blockage in pipes, and eventually corrode the metal of the pipes.3
Water hardness can be determined

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