Water Testing

[Nave]

Ok so now our school wont let us carry around due to a event where someone had Vodka in a water bottle and got cought(effin loser) Well our water fountains arent the best and taste like crap so i wana see whats actually in our water. What would some chemicals that I can check for things like Nitrates, Cl, Iron, Lead, or anything else that you guys can think of that could be in our fountains.

 

Thanks

[akcapr]

u can buy a kit

[Silencer]

Find yourself a solubility chart. If you want to test for iron, then mix the water with a solution of something that will form a precipitate with iron.

 

There are some things (like nitrates and sulfates I think) that are always soluble though, so maybe some smarter people can tell you how to test for them.

[budullewraagh]

nitrates, yes. sulfates, no.

 

"What would some chemicals that I can check for things like Nitrates, Cl, Iron, Lead, or anything else that you guys can think of that could be in our fountains."

 

your problem is that there wont be high concs in anything, so you wont really be able to precipitate any noticeable amount of anything. have you ever boiled water to the point where they water is all gone? at least around here, i can't see much of a residue... i guess you could use titration, but it would be with such incredibly dilute reagents that it would be difficult and frustrating.

 

get a kit.

[akcapr]

the only good way would be to send ur sample to a testing lab so they could run an analysis for some $.

[Nave]

What about those guys that come around and test your water? One came to my house a few months ago and did tests for Nitrates, and Cl and a few other things and I asked him what chemicals he was using but he wouldnt tell me.. Any clue what those could be? And he didnt boil the water or anything like that he just used water from the tap.

[j_p]

What about those guys that come around and test your water? One came to my house a few months ago and did tests for Nitrates, and Cl and a few other things and I asked him what chemicals he was using but he wouldnt tell me.. Any clue what those could be? And he didnt boil the water or anything like that he just used water from the tap.

 

Did the guy test the water right in front of you? Did he actually mix reagents, or use a test strip? How long did he run the water before taking the sample?

 

Service labs are in an incredibly competitive business; most have relatively low rates for home owners for drinking water and soil.

 

Why not get your so-very-supportive chemistry instructor to do water testing as an instructional lab?

 

If your school is an older building you should worry more if the water tastes good; lead is sweet.

[YT2095]

silver nitrate soln is used to test for chlorine in water.

[akcapr]

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/5161/lab2.htm

 

that has some stuff about water analysis

[budullewraagh]

"silver nitrate soln is used to test for chlorine in water."

well yes, silver nitrate precipitates halides, but it also precipitates most things, and there generally isnt much aqueous chloride in tap water...