Calculating alkalinity and expressing it in as CaCO3

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on calculating alkalinity expressed as CaCO3 from various ions, specifically Ca2+, Mg2+, CO2, HCO3-, and CO32-. The calculations provided by the user yield results that are slightly different from the textbook answers due to variations in molar masses used. For instance, the calculated value for Ca2+ is 207.096 mg/L as CaCO3, while the book states 207.25 mg/L. The differences in results are acknowledged to be negligible, indicating that the user's calculations are fundamentally correct.

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  • Understanding of chemical molar mass calculations
  • Knowledge of milliequivalents (meq) and their application in chemistry
  • Familiarity with the concept of alkalinity in water chemistry
  • Basic proficiency in unit conversion for chemical concentrations
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  • Research the impact of molar mass variations on chemical calculations
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Chemistry students, environmental scientists, water quality analysts, and anyone involved in water treatment processes will benefit from this discussion.

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Calculating alkalinity and expressing it in "as CaCO3"

Homework Statement


Convert the following from milligrams per liter as the ion to milligrams per liter as CaCO3.

A) 83.00 mg/L Ca2+
B) 27.00 mg/L Mg2+
C) 48.00 mg/L CO2
D) 220.00 mg/L HCO3-
E) 15.00 mg/L CO32-


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


I think I did the calculations correctly, but there's a slight difference between my answer and the book's answer...I was hoping someone could look and see if I did the steps correctly and if so is it difference negligible?

A) (83.00 mg Ca{2+} / L) x (1 mmole Ca{2+} / 40.078 g) x (2 meq Ca{2+} / mmole Ca{2+}) x (100 mg CaCO3 / 2 meq) = 207.096 mg/L as CaCO3, book answer = 207.25

B) (27.00 mg Mg{2+} / L) x (1 mole Mg{2+} / 24.305 g) x (2 meq Mg{2+} / mmole Mg{2+}) x (100 mg CaCO3 / 2 meq) = 111.088 mg/L as CaCO3, book answer = 111.20

C) (48.00 mg CO2 / L) x (1 mmole CO2 / 44.0095 g) x (2 meq CO2 / 1 mmole) x (100 mg CaCO3 / 2 meq) = 109.067 mg/L as CaCO3, book answer = 109.18

D) (220 mg HCO3{-} / L) x (1 mmole HCO3{-} / 61.01684 g) x (1 meq / 1 mmole) x (100 mg CaCO3 / 2 meq) = 180.278 mg/L as CaCO3, book answer = 180.41

E) (15.00 mg CO3 / L) x (1 mmole CO3 / 60.0089 g) x (2 meq / 1 mmole) x (100 mg CaCO3 / 2 meq) = 24.996 mg/L as CaCO3, book answer = 25.02
 
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Obviously book uses slightly different molar masses. I wouldn't care too much, differences are below 10-3, that's about as precise as you can determine alkalinity experimentally.
 


alright thank's borek, I thought I would be able to just write it off but that's the farthest off we've ever been, so I figured I'd ask for a second opinion.
 

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