why is drainwater alkali?
491134
More than likely to help undermine the growth of bacteria.
709917
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium\n\n"Potassium (IPA: /pə(ʊ)ˈtasiəm/) is a chemical element. It has the symbol K (Arabic: al qalja‎ → Latin: kalium) and atomic number 19. The name "potassium" comes from the word "potash", as potassium was first isolated from potash. Potassium is a soft silvery-white metallic alkali metal that occurs naturally bound to other elements in seawater and many minerals. It oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive, especially towards water. In many respects, potassium and sodium are chemically similar, although organisms in general, and animal cells in particular, treat them very differently.\nWith a density less than that of water, potassium is the second least dense metal after lithium. It is a soft, low-melting solid that can easily be cut with a knife. Freshly cut potassium is silvery in appearance, but in air it begins to tarnish toward gray visibly and immediately. Potassium must be protected from air for storage to prevent disintegration of the metal from oxide and hydroxide corrosion. Often samples are maintained under an inert medium such as kerosene.\n\nLike the other alkali metals, potassium reacts violently with water producing hydrogen. The reaction is notably more violent than that of lithium or sodium with water, and is sufficiently exothermic that the evolved hydrogen gas ignites. ..."
814242
Barium Hydroxide is a weak alkali which is not very soluble. If you try to neutralise it with dilute sulphuric acid you will get a precipitate of Barium sulphate. This means you won't be able to neutralise solid barium hydroxide just the solution. To neutralise either the solution or the solid use dilute hydrochloric acid.\nBa(OH)2  +  2HCl  =  BaCl2 +  2H2O\n\nIf you add carbonate ions CO3 2- to a solution of barium hydroxide Barium carbonate will be precipitated. Again carbonate ions (as in sodium carbonate solution) will not completely react with solid barium hydroxide.
104763
well, i do know there's this blue chemical called biochemical oxygen demand(BOD) which is used to see how polluted water is from different sources. like, if you compare drain water and pond water. so if you put few drops in each water, and wait for one day, you'll realise that drain water isnt as blue as pond water coz drain water is more polluted. since there are more waste compared to pond water, so there'll be less oxygen. so yeah.
739217
Hard water is water that has a high mineral content (water with a low mineral content is known as soft water). This content usually consists of high levels of metal ions, mainly calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) in the form of carbonates, but may include several other metals as well as bicarbonates and sulfates.\n\nEarlier generations coined the phrase 'hard water' because it made cleaning difficult. Hardness is caused by compounds of calcium and magnesium. All freshwater sources contain calcium and magnesium in varying quantities. Water dissolves, suspends, and/or exchanges certain trace elements and compounds from many things that it contacts on its travels. For example, peat will soften water, whereas limestone or chalk will harden it.\n\nTotal water 'hardness' (including both Ca++ and Mg++ ions) is reported as ppm w/v (or mg/L) of CaCO3. Water hardness usually measures the total concentration of Ca and Mg, the two most prevalent divalent metal ions, although in some geographical locations iron, aluminium, and manganese may also be present at elevated levels. Calcium usually enters the water from either CaCO3, as limestone or chalk or from mineral deposits of CaSO4. The predominant source of magnesium is dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2.\n\nThe deposit of calcium carbonate (also called lime, limescale, etc.) left after hard water has evaporated from a surface is often referred to as 'hard water' even though no water is present
713924
When you boiled the water, you evaporated some of it. This increases the salt concentration in the water which alters the ph. Since it went toward the alkaline side, it probably increased the calcium salts in the water.
364809
hey do u mean bases in chem.? well if it is in chem, then a base is not an alkali! a base is a compound which reacts with the hydronium ions of an acid to give salt and water only. they are insoluble in water but an alkali is soluble in water. Hence all alkali's are bases but all bases are not alkali's. eg of a base Cuo and of an alkali KoH
211023
wow, well put mrjeffy! I have one thing to add though. Because all acids and bases are electrolytes, you can use pH to determine what is and isn't an electrolyte in a solution. If it come out as acidic or basic, it is and electrolyte(the darker, the more basic or acidic). If it comes out neutral, like Distilled Water, it is not. Also don't forget that non-electrolytes will not completely dissolve into solution in water.
588293
When an acid reacts with an alkali (base), neutralisation occurs as the pH of the mixture becomes neutral, pH=7. (Acidic: pH < 7, Basic: pH > 7).\n\nSo an example would be to react sulphuric acid with sodium hydroxide to form sodium sulphate (salt) and water.\n2NaOH + H2SO4 ---> Na2SO4 + 2H20\n\nAn ELEMENT that would neutralise sulphuric acid (i.e. make its pH 7) could be any metal.\n\ne.g. Mg + H2SO4 ---> MgSO4 + H2\n\nBut this is not called a neutralisation reaction.
516695
Many drain clog-removers are exceedingly corrosive, usually either strongly acidic (HCl or sulfuric acid) or strongly basic (NaOH).  Some also contain bleach.  Some people put them in a drain and then try to use a plunger to help unclog the drain.  Pressure can build up and spray the corrosive solution back on the person.\n\nSimilarly some oven cleaners (especially older formulations) are strongly basic or acidic.\n\nSome toilet cleaners are based on hydrochloric acid.\n\nHad he been using any of these without gloves, he could easily "burn off his fingertips".  Remember that they could say this if his injury were just the corrosion of the skin on his fingers.
732031
Sodium bicarbonate in solid form is a poor conductor.    However, it will ionize when dissolved in water and conduct electricity then.
571970
Acid +Alkali =Salt + Water\nHence,\n\nNaOH + HCl = NaCl + H2O\n\nWhen litmus paper is dipped in NaOH solution it turns blue it means that NaOH is basic in nature.When HCl is added to NaOH The mixture becomes acidic and so the litmus paper turns red.The product you get after mixing both solutions is common salt and water so when this is heated the water evaporates and the salt is left back.This is a small experiment which you can do by adding salt to water and then heating it till the water gets completely evaporated.
1013254
This water is called hard water. This water is rich in Calcium. If the water's hardness is measured as 1000ppm CaCO3, such type of phenomenon is common. For potable water, the hardness should be less than 200ppm CaCO3. In regions of India with calcareous soil and subsoil, the under ground water is of this type. The inner wall of the tubes of the pump existing in these areas gets accumulated with the CaCO3 and in due course of time, the diameter of the tube gets reduced and finally, the whole tube gets clogged with CaCO3. This type of water should not be used for drinking purposes because, it may create kidney problems. Such type of hard water will not surf with soap.
524935
Water contains many dissolved ions, chief among them being Calcium and Magnesium. At high levels of alkalinity, event the CO2 present in the atmosphere or released from washing soda reacts with Ca2+ to give rise to CaCO3 and hence the milky appearance.
121249
Simple. To avoid salt deposition on the cathode and anode. Simple tap water has many salts, whereas distilled water has a very less or negligible amount of salt. Answer is according to my logic. Need'nt be correct.
526901
Well, there are two types of hardness I know in chemistry. I don't know which of the two you are referring to so I'll just list both. \n\nThe first one is called "carbonate hardness", commonly known as alkalinity. It is the meaure of the ability of a solution to neutralize acid without changing the pH. It both controls and maintains water pH, and it is measured in degrees (dKH), parts per million of calcium carbonate (ppm CaCo3), or milliequivalents per liter (meq/L).\n\nThen, in contrast to carbonate hardness, there is general hardness which is the measurement of the total dissolved minerals in a solution. Test kits for general hardness measure the amount of calcium and magnesium salts present, and the result is expressed in degrees dH or dGH.
779381
NaHSO4 is SODIUM BISULFATE\n\nA chemical used to lower the pH and total alkalinity.\n\nAlso called Dry Acid. A granular form of acid used to lower the pH or Total Alkalinity of pool water.