Chemical Engineering Department M S University, Baroda

CHLORIDE CONTENT OF WATER

Safety, health and Environment

Aim: - To determine chloride content present in given sample of water.

Apparatus: - Burette with stand, Conical flask, Pipette, Beaker, Measuring flask,
Funnel, Dropper.
Chemicals: - Standard Silver Nitrate (AgNO3) solution (N/50), K2CrO4 indicator
solution, CaCO3 Powder, Sample water.
Precautions: -
The whole apparatus must be washed with distilled water.
The same amount of the indicator must be added each time.
The reaction mixture should be briskly shaken during the titration.
Significance: -
When present at concentrations above 250 ppm, chloride impart an
unacceptable taste to water although no adverse effects have been observed on
human beings regularly consuming waters with much higher concentrations of
chloride. Exceptionally high concentration of chloride in a water (as compared to
that in other waters in the general vicinity and known to be unpolluted) may be
considered as an indication of contamination by domestic waste water. Chloride ion
concentration should be known (1) For deciding the type of desalting apparatus when
brackish waters have to be used. (2) For treating industrial wastes before discharging
them into natural bodies of water.
Theory: -
Chlorides usually occurs as NaCl, CaCl2 and MgCl2 and in widely varying
concentrations, in all-natural waters. They enter waters (a) By solvent action of water
on salt present in soil (b) From polluting materials like sewage (containing the salt
used in household) and trade wastes (containing chlorides used in manufacturing)
and (c) In areas around sea, from (1) salt - water droplets carried inland by wind as
spray from the sea, (2) invasion (upstream flow) by sea waters into rivers that drain
into sea.

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Chemical Engineering Department M S University, Baroda

Procedure: -
Add a pinch of pure CaCO3 to the solution obtained at the end of methyl
orange alkalinity determination, so that the red or pink colour vanishes. Add 1-1.5
ml of K2CrO4 indicator solution and titrate it against N/50 AgNO3 taken in the
burette until a permanent pink tinge persists in the white precipitates. Repeat the
whole process a number of times to get concordant readings. Record the concordant
volume as A ml.
Observations: -
1) Volume of the sample taken each time = 100 ml
2) Concordant volume of N/50 AgNo3 used = ________ A ml

Result: -
Chloride Content in sample = _________ ml
Conclusion: -

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