EXPERIMENT No.

:-4
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the amount of permanent,
temporary and total hardness of given water
sample using standard N/50 EDTA solution.
• Reagents Required:

Water, EDTA solution, Eriochrome black T, buffer.

• Indicator used:

Eriochrome Black T
• Reactions involved
 Theory
Water that doesn’t produce lather with soap solutions rather produces white precipitate or scum is
known as hard water. Hardness in water is due to the presence of dissolved salts of calcium and
magnesium in the form of bicarbonate, chloride and sulphate in water. It is unfit for drinking, bathing,
washing and it also forms scales in boilers. Hence it is necessary to estimate the amount of hardness
producing substances present in the water sample. Once it is estimated, the amount of chemicals
required for the treatment of water can be calculated. There are two types of hardness present in
water: temporary hardness and permanent hardness. Temporary hardness can be removed by boiling
the water or by the addition of lime (or calcium hydroxide). The estimation of hardness is based on
complexometric titration. Hardness of water is determined by titrating with a standard solution of
ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) which is a complexing agent. Since EDTA is insoluble in
water, the disodium salt of EDTA is taken for this experiment. EDTA can form four or six coordination
bonds with a metal ion.
 Procedure
• Total Hardness of the Water Sample

1. Pipette 20 mL of the water sample into a 250 mL conical flask. Add 2-3 mL of pH 10 ammonical buffer and 1 drop of EBT
indicator. You will get a wine red color solution.

2. Titrate the water sample with EDTA solution until the color changes from wine red to blue. Record the volume.

3. Repeat this two more times till you get concordant readings.

• Permanent Hardness

1. Transfer a 100 mL water sample into a 250 mL beaker. Gently boil the water for 30 minutes. Allow the boiled water to cool to
room temperature.

2. Filter the water directly into a clean 100 mL volumetric flask. Fill the volumetric flask to the mark with distilled water.

3. Pipet 20 mL of the filtered sample into a flask and add 2-3 mL of pH 10 ammonical buffer and 1 drop of EBT indicator.

4. Titrate the water sample with EDTA solution until the color changes from wine red to blue. Record the volume.

5. Repeat this two more times till you get concordant readings.
 Observations

1. Observation Table Titration of given water sample against EDTA solution for total hardness

S. No. Initial burette reading = Final burette reading = Volume of given Na2EDTA solution used = (V2-V1) mL
V1 mL V2 mL

0.0 3.0 3.0

2. Observation Table Titration of given water sample against EDTA solution for permanent hardness

S. No. Initial burette reading = Final burette reading = Volume of standardized EDTA solution used = (V2-V1)
V1 mL V2 mL mL
0.0 2.5 2.5
 Calculations
• The hardness can be calculated using the normality equation:

• Nwater × Vwater = NEDTA × VEDTA

• NEDTA = Normality of Na2EDTA solution = N/50

• VEDTA = Volume of Na2EDTA solution used = From observation table.

• Vwater = Volume of the given water sample to be analyzed = 20 mL

• Substituting these values in the normality equation, we can calculate the normality of the given water sample.

• Total Hardness or hardness of water is calculated with respect to the CaCO3 only and use readings of observation table 1 for
calculations. Thus, hardness of given water sample is Nwater × Eq. Wt of CaCO3 = …..g/L

• Hardness in ppm = Nwater × Eq. Wt of CaCO3 × 1000 = mg/L or ppm

• For permanent hardness, repeat the calculation taking volume of Na2EDTA solution used from observation table 2.

• For temporary hardness (ppm) = Total hardness – Permanent hardness

Result:
(i) Total Hardness = …….. g/L or ppm
(ii) Permanent Hardness = …….. g/L or ppm
(iii) Temporary Hardness = Total hardness – Permanent hardness = …… g/L or ppm.

Precautions:
(i) Before starting the experiment, the glass apparatus must be perfectly cleaned.
(ii) Always read lower meniscus of solution level in burette.
(iii) Near the end point, add EDTA solution drop wise and after addition of each drop, see the colour
change.
(v) Do not blow last drop of solution from pipette. Just tap the tip of pipette to the walls of the flask.