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Module 4 Chemistry of the environment 1

This document is a lesson plan for a Chemistry unit focused on the chemistry of the environment, specifically water and fertilizers. It outlines objectives related to the composition of natural water, the treatment processes for domestic water supply, and the use of fertilizers in agriculture. Additionally, it includes chemical tests for water purity and the impact of harmful substances found in water sources.

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6 views

Module 4 Chemistry of the environment 1

This document is a lesson plan for a Chemistry unit focused on the chemistry of the environment, specifically water and fertilizers. It outlines objectives related to the composition of natural water, the treatment processes for domestic water supply, and the use of fertilizers in agriculture. Additionally, it includes chemical tests for water purity and the impact of harmful substances found in water sources.

Uploaded by

giselemucato
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MODULE NO.

: 4 Teacher: Chengetai Chikware

Subject: Chemistry 9 DATE: 19/02/2025

Parent’s Signature: _______ Marks: _

Name of Student
________

UNIT: Chemistry of the environment

TOPIC: Water and Fertilisers

Objectives:

- State that water from natural sources contains a variety of substances, including:(a)
dissolved oxygen, (b) metal compounds, (c) plastics, (d) sewage, (e) harmful
microbes, (f) nitrates from fertilisers, (g) phosphates from fertilisers and detergents.

- State the substances which are beneficial and the harmful ones;

- Describe the treatment of the domestic water supply in terms of: (a) sedimentation
and filtration to remove solids, (b) use of carbon to remove tastes and odours, (c)
chlorination to kill microbes

- Describe chemical tests for the presence of water using anhydrous cobalt (II)
chloride and anhydrous copper (II) sulphate

- Describe how to test for the purity of water using melting point and boiling point

- Explain that distilled water is used in practical chemistry rather than tap water
because it contains fewer chemical impurities

- State that ammonium salts and nitrates are used as fertilisers;

- Describe the use of NPK fertilisers to provide the elements nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium for improved plant growth

References:

https://www.savemyexams.com/igcse/chemistry/cie/23/revision-notes/

Harwood R, Lodge I, Millington C (2021), Chemistry for Cambridge IGCSE, fifth edition, p.
334 – 337
1. Chemical tests for water

1.1. Using cobalt (II) chloride:

Cobalt (II) chloride turns blue to pink on the addition of water. This test is usually
done using cobalt chloride paper

➢ The equation is:

anhydrous cobalt (II) chloride + water → hydrated cobalt (II) chloride

CoCl2 (s) + 6H2O (l) → CoCl2.6H2O (s)

Fig 1. Test for water using cobalt chloride paper which turns pink in the presence of
water

1.2. Using copper (II) sulphate:

Anhydrous copper (II) sulphate turns white to blue on the addition of water

➢ The equation is:

anhydrous copper (II) sulphate + water hydrated copper (II) sulphate

CuSO4 (s) + 5H2O (l) CuSO4.5H2O (s)

Fig. 2: Test for water using anhydrous copper (II) sulphate which turns blue in the
presence of water
2. Distilled water

▪ Distilled water is water that has been heated to form a vapour, and then
condensed back to a liquid
▪ It contains very few impurities
▪ Distilled water is used in practical chemistry because of its high purity
▪ Tap water contains more impurities which could interfere with chemical
reactions so is typically not used.

3. Substances in Water from Natural Sources

▪ We use water in many aspects of our everyday life:


▪ Domestic uses: for drinking, cooking, gardening and general sanitation
▪ Agricultural uses: as a drink for animals and watering crops
▪ Industrial uses: as a solvent, as a coolant and heated to make steam used to
generate electricity
▪ Water is found in natural sources such as lakes, rivers and underground
water sources (groundwater)
▪ A rock that stores water is known as an aquifer
➢ Water from natural sources may contain a variety of different substances,
including:
▪ Dissolved oxygen
▪ Metal compounds
▪ Plastics
▪ Sewage
▪ Harmful microbes
▪ Nitrates from fertilisers
▪ Phosphates from fertilisers and detergents
➢ Many of these substances enter water sources when rain falls and washes
them into lakes, rivers or groundwater
➢ Some of these substances are naturally occurring but many are a direct result
of human activities

3.1. Beneficial & Harmful Substances in Water

➢ Some of the substances which may be found in natural water sources are
beneficial and others may have harmful effects
➢ Beneficial substances include:
▪ Dissolved oxygen - essential for aquatic life
▪ Metal compounds - some provide essential minerals which are necessary for
life, such as calcium and magnesium
▪ Potentially harmful substances include:
▪ Metal compounds - some are toxic like aluminium and lead
▪ Some plastics - these may be harmful to aquatic life in many ways, e.g.
getting trapped in plastic waste, dying of starvation as their stomach is filled
with plastic
▪ Sewage - contains harmful microbes which can cause disease
▪ Nitrate & phosphates from fertilisers - these can promote the growth of
aquatic plant life which leads to deoxygenation of water. Ultimately, this can
cause damage to aquatic life in a process called eutrophication (you do not
need to know the details of this process)

4. Water treatment

➢ Untreated water contains soluble and insoluble impurities


▪ Insoluble impurities include soil, pieces of plants and other organic matter
▪ Soluble impurities include dissolved calcium, metallic compounds and
inorganic pollutants
➢ Water is pumped into sedimentation tanks where the water is allowed to
stand for a few hours
➢ Mud, sand and other particles will fall to the bottom of the tank due to gravity
and form a layer of sediment, in a process called sedimentation
▪ Filtration is the process used to remove smaller particles by passing the
water through layers of sand and gravel filters that trap solid particles
▪ Water can also be passed through carbon (in the form of charcoal) to remove
tastes and odours
▪ Bacteria and other microorganisms are too small to be trapped by the filters
so chlorination is used
▪ This involves the careful addition of chlorine to the water supply which kills
bacteria and other unwanted microorganisms
▪ Cholera and typhoid are examples of bacterial diseases which can arise from
the consumption of untreated water.
Fig 4. Diagram showing the stages in the treatment of water

5. N, P, K Fertilisers

▪ Fertilisers contain nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus


▪ Nitrogen makes chlorophyll and protein and promotes healthy leaves
▪ Potassium promotes growth and healthy fruit and flowers
▪ Phosphorus promotes healthy roots
➢ Fertiliser compounds contain the following water-soluble ions:
▪ Ammonium ions, NH4+ and nitrate ions, NO3-, are sources of soluble
nitrogen
▪ Phosphate ions, PO43- are a source of soluble phosphorus
▪ Most common potassium compounds dissolve in water to produce potassium
ions, K+
➢ Common fertiliser compounds include:
▪ Ammonium nitrate, NH4NO3
▪ Ammonium phosphate, (NH4)3PO4
▪ Potassium sulphate, K2SO4
➢ Ammonium salts and nitrates are commonly used as fertilisers
➢ Different fertilisers contain different amounts of fertiliser compounds so each
contains different proportions of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous
Exercises

1. State a simple test, giving its result, for detecting the presence of water.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. How could you prove that a sample of water was pure?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Nitrates and phosphates can enter waterways as a result of the run-off of fertiliser
from fields. Describe the problems that can be caused when this happens.

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4. Name two useful metals found in water samples and state the reasons why they
are useful. Name two metals found in water that are not useful and state the
problems they can create.

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5. Why is it important that scientists develop new biodegradable plastics rather than
continuing to use the current types of plastic?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
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6. Water from a lake contained microplastics, traces of dissolved organic compounds


and microbes linked to diarrhoea. How would these three contaminants be removed
to enable the water to be sold as domestic water?

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