Environmental Chemistry Determining The Phosphate Level Of Water
Environmental Chemistry: Determining the Phosphate Level of Water
Objective:
-To understand the effects of phosphates from fertilizers into water supplies.
-How to use a spectrophotometer and understand how it works.
-Understand the correlation and usage of Beer’s law with calibration curves.
Introduction/Procedure:
Environmental protection has been a growing concern for many people in the recent years. With talks of global warming, deforestation, and rising ocean acidity in the news it is safe to assume that protecting our environment is a task everyone will need to be a part of. One example of environmental harm caused by humans is the leaking of phosphates into water supplies through the use of garden fertilizers. When there is too much phosphate in the water it causes process of eutrophication. Eutrophication is where the level of algae and marine life plant matter bloom to disastrous levels[3]. With the extreme amounts of algae in the water the oxygen supply of the water is diminished and marine life is destroyed[3]. While very small amounts of phosphates are necessary for the growth of roots in plant life the levels of phosphate added to water from fertilizers are dangerous for the ecosystem[2]. In order to calculate the concentration of phosphate in water the molar absorptivity must be found first. For this experiment using a stock phosphate solution is ideal as the concentration (in ppm) of phosphate can be controlled. First, six samples of varying phosphate concentration (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 ppm) will be made by diluting 20 ppm stock phosphate solution with deionized water. This can be achieved by using the dilution equation: M1V1=M2V2. Due to phosphate being uncolored an ammonium molybdate will be used to react with phosphate in the water to form a phosphomolybdate complex. This complex will change color when reacted with a Sn(II)Cl2 solution turning it a dark blue color. When the complex has changed color it can be placed into 1 cm
Objective:
-To understand the effects of phosphates from fertilizers into water supplies.
-How to use a spectrophotometer and understand how it works.
-Understand the correlation and usage of Beer’s law with calibration curves.
Introduction/Procedure:
Environmental protection has been a growing concern for many people in the recent years. With talks of global warming, deforestation, and rising ocean acidity in the news it is safe to assume that protecting our environment is a task everyone will need to be a part of. One example of environmental harm caused by humans is the leaking of phosphates into water supplies through the use of garden fertilizers. When there is too much phosphate in the water it causes process of eutrophication. Eutrophication is where the level of algae and marine life plant matter bloom to disastrous levels[3]. With the extreme amounts of algae in the water the oxygen supply of the water is diminished and marine life is destroyed[3]. While very small amounts of phosphates are necessary for the growth of roots in plant life the levels of phosphate added to water from fertilizers are dangerous for the ecosystem[2]. In order to calculate the concentration of phosphate in water the molar absorptivity must be found first. For this experiment using a stock phosphate solution is ideal as the concentration (in ppm) of phosphate can be controlled. First, six samples of varying phosphate concentration (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 ppm) will be made by diluting 20 ppm stock phosphate solution with deionized water. This can be achieved by using the dilution equation: M1V1=M2V2. Due to phosphate being uncolored an ammonium molybdate will be used to react with phosphate in the water to form a phosphomolybdate complex. This complex will change color when reacted with a Sn(II)Cl2 solution turning it a dark blue color. When the complex has changed color it can be placed into 1 cm