how can soap be used to test for hard water.?

Question

how would a knowledge of chemistry have helped to save the Roman Empire and the hat makes of the nineteenth century.

how does an ion exchange resin soften water.

Answer 1

If it doesn't lather-up and when you rinse it off it feels slippery, not squeaky clean.
The Romans used lead pipes for there drinking and bathing water. Lead poisoning has been offered as one of the reasons for the fall of the empire. Hatters used mercury in curing the hides and would be susceptible to mercuric poisoning.

Answer 2

The first question is easy - if the soap doesn't make a good lather then the water is hard.

The second question is something to do with mercury - hat makers were poisoned by it, and probably the Romans didn't use it safely either.

The third question is tricky. I will have to go and ask Mr Spock when the USS Enterprise is next in. (Sorry, I am just being surreal - I don't know the answer).

Answer 3

Soap will form a tub ring in hard water. Also seen are spots on glasses that go through a dish washer.

An exchangae resin gives one ion inplace of another to soften water. It is filled with sodium salts and it replaces the calcium with sodium.

Answer 4

Soap doesn't lather very well in hard water

Hat makers often suffered from mercury (or lead?) poisoning - see the mad hatter in Alice in Wonderland.

Don't know about the Romans.

I would imaging it dissociates calcium carbonate molecules.

Answer 5

abt the romans i don ve a clue .the first one n the third ve been answred below..

A water softener works on the principle of cation or ion exchange in which ions of the hardness minerals are exchanged for sodium or potassium ions, effectively reducing the concentration of hardness minerals to tolerable levels.

The most economical way to soften household water is with an ion exchange water softener. This unit uses sodium chloride (table salt) to recharge beads made of ion exchange resin that exchange hardness mineral ions for sodium ions. Artificial or natural zeolites can also be used. As the hard water passes through and around the beads, the hardness mineral ions are preferentially absorbed, displacing the sodium ions. This process is called ion exchange. When the bead or sodium zeolite has a low concentration of sodium ions left, it is exhausted, and can no longer soften water. The resin is recharged by flushing (often back-flushing) with saltwater. The high excess concentration of sodium ions alter the equilibrium between the ions in solution and the ions held on the surface of the resin, resulting in replacement of the hardness mineral ions on the resin or zeolite with sodium ions. The resulting saltwater and mineral ion solution is then rinsed away, and the resin is ready to start the process all over again. This cycle can be repeated many times.

Some softening processes in industry use the same method, but on a much larger scale. These methods create an enormous amount of salty water that is costly to treat and dispose of.

Temporary hardness, caused by hydrogen carbonate (or bicarbonate) ions, can be removed by boiling. For example, calcium hydrogen carbonate, often present in temporary hard water, is boiled in a kettle to remove the hardness. In the process, a scale forms on the inside of the kettle in a process known as "furring of kettles". This scale is composed of insoluble calcium carbonate.

Ca(HCO3)2 → CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O

Hardness can also be reduced with a lime-soda ash treatment. This process, developed by Thomas Clark in 1841, involves the addition of slaked lime (calcium hydroxide — Ca(OH)2) to a hard water supply to convert the hydrogen carbonate hardness to carbonate, which precipitates and can be removed by filtration:

Ca(HCO3)2 + Ca(OH)2 → 2CaCO3 + 2H2O

The addition of sodium carbonate also softens permanently hard water containing calcium sulfate, as the calcium ions form calcium carbonate which is insoluble and sodium sulfate is formed which is soluble. The calcium carbonate formed sinks to the bottom. Sodium sulfate has no effect on the hardness of water.

Na2CO3 + CaSO4 → Na2SO4 + CaCO3

It is desirable to soften hard water, as the latter does not readily form lather with soap. Soap is wasted when trying to form lather, and in the process, scum forms.

Answer 6

Try soap because it will act like foam.

Answer 7

in no feasible way is that done. try again.