Water
I. Choose the best answer.
1. Water changes to ice at Ans : 0oC
2. Solubility of carbon dioxide in water is high when the
Ans : pressure is high
3. The gas collected at the cathode on electrolysis of water is
Ans : hydrogen
4. Which of the following is a water pollutant? Ans : Lead
5. Permanent hardness of water is due to the presence of
__________
Ans : Sulphates and Chlorides
II. Fill in the blanks.
1. Water is colourless, odourless and __________
Ans : tasteless
2. The boiling point of water is __________
Ans : 100oC
3. Temporary hardness of water can be removed by
__________ of water
Ans : boiling
4. The density of water is maximum at __________
Ans : 4oC
5. Loading speeds up the process of __________
Ans : sedimentation
III. Match the following.
1. Universal solvent Water pollutant
2. Hard water Kills germs
3. Boiling Ozonisation
4. Sterilization Water
5. Sewage Stomach ailments
Ans : 1 – d, 2 – e, 3 – b, 4 – c, 5 – a
IV. Say True or False. If false, correct the statement.
1. Sewage should be treated well before being discharged it
into water bodies Ans : True
2. Sea water is suitable for irrigation as it contains dissolved
salts.
Ans : False
Cu. St. : Sea water is not suitable for irrigation as it has
high salinity.
3. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers depletes the soil and
causes water pollution. Ans : True
4. Water unfit for drinking is called potable water Ans : False
5. Soap lathers well in hard water
Ans : False
Cu. St. : soap lathers well in soft water.
V. Give reasons for the following
1. Alum is added to water in sedimentation tank.
Chemical substance potash alum is added to water to speed
up the process of sedimentation.
This process is called loading
The particles of potash alum combine with the suspended
impurities and make them settle down at a faster rate.
2. Water is a universal solvent.
Water has a unique property to dissolve more substances
than any other liquids.
It can dissolve solids such as salt and sugar, liquids such as
honey and milk and gases such as oxygen and carbon
dioxide in it.
Water can dissolve more number of substances than any
other solvent.
Therefore, it is called as universal solvent.
3. Ice floats on water.
This is because ice is lighter than water.
It means that the density of ice is lower than that of water.
Since ice is a bad conductor of heat it does not allow heat
to pass through it.
So, the water below the ice remains in liquid form, where
most of the aquatic life lives.
4. Aquatic animals can breathe in water.
Air dissolved in water is important for the aquatic animals
to survive.
Aquatic animals extracts the oxygen form the water and
expels water.
They can breathe in water only through the dissolved
oxygen present in water.
5. Sea water is unfit for drinking.
Every litre of sea water contains 35 grams of dissolved
salts most commonly known as sodium chloride (NaCl).
Such water is called saline water.
It is not suitable for drinking and is said to be non-potable
water.
6. Hard water is not good for washing utensils.
Hard water damages the utensils and containers in which it is
stored and forms a hard layer.
VI. Define the following:
1. Freezing Point.
The temperature at which a liquid turns into solid when
cooled is known as freezing point. The freezing point of water
is 0°C.
2. Boiling point.
The temperature at which a water boils and changes to
steam is called as boiling point. The boiling point of water is
100°C at atmospheric pressure.
3. Specific heat capacity.
Amount of heat that is needed to raise the temperature of a
unit mass of a substance by 1°C is called specific heat
capacity.
4. Latent heat of fusion.
The amount of heat energy required by ice to change into
water is called latent heat of fusion of ice.
5. Potable water.
The water suitable for drinking is called potable water.
VII. Answer in brief:
1. Name the gas evolved at cathode and anode when water
is electrolysis. State their ratio by volume.
The gas which is evolved at cathode: Hydrogen (H2).
The gas which is evolved at anode: Oxygen (O 2)
The ratio of H2 and O2 = 2 : 1.
2. State the importance of dissolved oxygen and carbon
dioxide in water.
Fish extracts the oxygen from the water and expels water
through the gills. Fish can survive in water only through the
dissolved oxygen present in water.
Aquatic plants make use of dissolved carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis.
Carbon dioxide dissolved in water reacts with limestone to
form calcium bicarbonate.
Marine organisms such as snails, oysters, etc., extract
calcium carbonate from calcium bicarbonate to build their
shells.
3. What are the causes of temporary hardness and
permanent hardness of water?
Temporary hardness is due to the presence of carbonate and
bicarbonate salts of calcium and magnesium.
Permanent hardness is due to the presence of chloride and
sulphate salts of calcium and magnesium.
4. Explain specific latent heat of vaporization of water.
When water attains the temperature of 100°C, it starts
changing its state from liquid to gaseous state, however, the
temperature of water does not rise above 100°C.
It is because the heat energy supplied only changes the
state of the boiling water.
This heat energy is stored in steam and is commonly called
latent
heat of vaporization of steam.
5. What are the methods of removing hardness of water?
Boiling – Temporary hardness is easily removed from water
by boiling.
Adding washing soda – Washing soda is used to remove
permanent hardness of water.
Ion-exchange – This converts hard water into soft water.
Distillation – Temporary and permanent hardness both can
be removed by the method of distillation.
VIII. Answer in detail:
1. How is water purified at a water purification plant?
In conventional water treatment plant, water is subjected to
different process. They are:
Sedimentation:
Water from lakes or rivers is collected in large
sedimentation tanks.
There, it is allowed to stand undisturbed so that suspended
impurities settle down at the bottom of the tank.
Sometimes, a chemical substance such as potash alum is
added to water to speed up the process of sedimentation,
this is called loading.
The particles of potash alum combine with the suspended
impurities and make them settle down at a faster rate.
Filtration:
Water from the sedimentation tanks is then pumped to the
filtration tanks.
Filtration tanks contain filter beds made up of gravel, sand,
pebbles, activated charcoal and concrete.
Water passes through these layers and becomes free from
any remaining dissolved or suspended impurities
completely.
sterilisation:
The filtered water is treated chemically to remove the
remaining germs or bacteria, this process is called
sterilisation.
The chemicals that are used in this process are chlorine
and ozone.
The process of adding chlorine in adequate amounts to
water is called chlorination.
The water from filtration tanks is pumped into chlorination
tanks, where chlorine is added to remove harmful bacteria
and other germs.
Ozonisation is a process in which water is treated with
ozone gas to kill the germs present in it.
The sterilisation of water can also be done by exposing it
to air and sunlight.
Oxygen from the air and sunlight destroy the germs
present in water.
Aeration is the process in which air under pressure is
blown into filtered water, this also helps to kill the germs.
2. What is permanent hardness of water? How can it be
removed?
Different methods are followed to remove the permanent
harness of water
Adding washing soda
Washing soda is used to remove permanent hardness of
water. Adding washing soda converts chlorides and sulphates
into insoluble carbonates. These insoluble carbonates are
removed by filtration.
Ion – exchange
Another method used to remove the hardness of water is to
pass it through a column of ion-exchange resins where
calcium and magnesium ions get replaced by sodium ions.
This converts hard water into soft water.
Distillation
Temporary and permanent hardness both can be removed by
the method of distillation. The water obtained after
distillation is called distilled water. It is the purest form of
water.
3. What is Electrolysis? Explain the electrolysis of water.
The process of breaking down of water molecules by the
passage of electric current is known as electrolysis of water.
A glass beaker is fixed with two carbon electrodes and it is
filled with water up to one third of its volume.
The positive carbon electrode acts as anode and the
negative carbon electrode acts as cathode.
Two test tubes are placed on the electrodes.
The electrodes are connected to a battery’ and current is
passed until the test tubes are filled with a particular gas.
If the gas collected is tested using a burning splint we can
notice that the gas in cathode side bums with a popping
sound when the burning splint is brought near the mouth
of the test tube.
This property is usually shown by hydrogen gas and so it is
confirmed that the gas inside the test tube is hydrogen.
The burning splint placed near the anode side bums more
brightly confirming that it is oxygen gas. This experiment
shows that water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen.
The ratio of hydrogen and oxygen is 2:1. Hence, for every
two volumes of hydrogen collected at the cathode, there is
one volume of oxygen collected at the anode.
4. Explain the different ways by which water gets polluted.
Domestic Sewage.
Untreated sewage contains impurities such as organic matter
from food waste, toxic chemicals from household products
and it may also contain disease-causing microbes.
Domestic waste and plastics.
Plastics block drains spreading vector borne diseases such as
malaria and dengue. Waste in water bodies negatively
impact aquatic life.
Agricultural activities
Fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides used in agriculture
can dissolve in rainwater and flow into water bodies such
as rivers and lakes.
This causes an excess of nutrients such as nitrates and
phosphates as well as toxic chemicals into the water
bodies and they can be harmful to aquatic life.
Industrial waste.
Many industries release toxic waste such as lead, mercury,
cyanides, cadmium, etc.
If this waste is unregulated and is released into water
bodies, it negatively impacts humans, plants, animals and
aquatic life.
Oil spills.
Oil spills cause water pollution which is harmful to aquatic
life.
Thermal pollution.
Water used for cooling purposes is discharged back to a river
or to original water source at a raised temperature and
sometimes with chemicals. This rise in temperature
decreases the amount of oxygen dissolved in water which
adversely affects the aquatic life.