Gases in water

• Water has common gases: N2, O2, CO2

• And gases caused by bacterial metabolism: H2S, NH3, CH4
 Solubility of Gases in water
• Henry’s law
Cs = Hc.Pg

Cs – mole fraction or concentration of gas at equilibrium

(saturation) in liquid phase; mol/L or mg/L
Hc – Henry’s law constant; mol/L/atm or mg/L/atm
Pg – partial pressure of gas in atmosphere
 Applications of Henry’s law
1. To increase the solubility of CO2 in soft drinks and soda water, the bottle is
sealed under high pressure.
2. Scuba divers breath air at high pressure under water which increases the
solubility of gases in blood. In surface gases (N2) form bubble in blood
causing blockage in capillaries which is painful and dangerous to life.
To avoid this air is diluted with He (11.7% He + 56.2% N2 + 32.1% O2).
3. At high altitude partial pressure of O2 is less than at ground. Low O2 in
blood of climber causes Anoxia.
Limitations
• Solution must be dilute
• Solubility of gas must be moderate
• Gas must not react with solvent (chemically)
• Temperature must not be so high.
 Alkalinity
 Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity of water or any solution to neutralize a buffer
acid. It is denoted by AT.
 The capacity of water to accept H+ ions (protons) is called alkalinity.
 Alkalinity measures the ability of a solution to neutralize acids to the equivalence
point of carbonate or bicarbonate.
 The ability to resist changes in PH by neutralizing acids or bases is called buffering.
 Alkalinity refers to the capability of water to neutralize acid. This is really an
expression of buffering capacity.
 A buffer is a solution to which an acid can be added without changing the
concentration of available H+ ions (without changing the pH) appreciably.
 Buffer solution is composed of weak acids and their conjugate bases
(AcH+AcNa).
 The most important compounds in water that determine alkalinity include the
carbonate and bicarbonate ion.
 Alkalinity is usually given in the unit mEq/L (milliequivalent per liter).
 Why is dissolution of gases in
water exothermic?
• The physical reason for this is that when most gases
dissolve in solution, the process is exothermic.
• This means that heat is released as the gas dissolves. The
higher kinetic energy causes more motion in
the gas molecules which break intermolecular bonds and
escape from solution.
 Importance of Alkalinity
• Alkalinity is important for fish and aquatic life because it protects or buffers against
rapid pH changes.
• Higher alkalinity levels in surface waters will buffer acid rain and other acid wastes
and prevent pH changes that are harmful to aquatic life.
• Living organisms, especially aquatic life, function best in a pH range of 6.0 to 9.0.
• Alkalinity is a measure of how much acid can be added to a liquid without causing a
large change in pH.
• Higher alkalinity levels in surface waters will buffer acid rain and other acid wastes
and prevent pH changes that are harmful to aquatic life.
• The ecosystem and organisms that live in the lake evolved in water bodies that didn't
change quickly.
• A sudden shift in pH is not healthy for the fish and organisms living in the water.
Aquatic organisms benefit from stable pH values, and waters with a high alkalinity are
better able to maintain a fairly constant pH.
 Sources of Alkalinity
 The alkalinity of natural water is determined by the soil and
bedrock through which it passes.
 The main sources for natural alkalinity are rocks which
contain carbonate, bicarbonate, and hydroxide compounds.
Borates, silicates, and phosphates also may contribute
to alkalinity.
Why is the sea water alkaline?
 Sea water is alkaline or basic. This is because most of the
dissolved minerals picked up by groundwater and carried
eventually to the ocean are pH increasers.
 Alkalinity
• Alkalinity is measured by titrating a sample with a strong acid until all
the buffering capacity of the aforementioned ions above the pH of
bicarbonate or carbonate (pH 4.5) is consumed.

• At this point, all the bases of interest have been protonated to the zero
level species, hence they no longer cause alkalinity.

• In the carbonate system [HCO3−] and [CO32−] convert to carbonic acid

[H2CO3] at this pH (4.5).

• The pH (4.5) is also called CO2 equivalence point where the major
component in water is dissolved CO2 which is converted to H2CO3.
 Alkalinity
• The following reactions take place during the addition of acid
to a typical seawater solution:
• B(OH)4− + H+ → B(OH)3 + H2O
• OH− + H+ → H2O
• PO4−3 + 2H+ → H2PO4−
• HPO4−2 + H+ → H2PO4−
• [SiO(OH)3−] + H+ → [Si(OH)40]
 Causes of alkalinity
• dissolution of CaCO3 (component of coral reefs) to form Ca2+ and
CO32− (carbonate). It absorbs two H+ causing increase in ocean
alkalinity.
• Anaerobic degradation such as denitrification and sulfate
reduction occur in the deep ocean, where oxygen absence. These
consume H+ and release quasi-inert gases (N2 or H2S), which
eventually escape into the atmosphere. This consumption of H+
increases the alkalinity.
• It has been estimated that anaerobic degradation could be as
much as 60% of the total oceanic alkalinity.