The Water Softening Guided-Inquiry Consumer Chemistry Kit lets students identify the minerals removed through ion exchange and understand the practical benefits of water softening. Students learn of water hardness, complex ions and more.
It’s not that hard! Use this water-softening inquiry lab to teach the concepts of water hardness, complex ions, ion exchange and titration. Water samples with unknown hardness will be treated with ion-exchange resin and analyzed by EDTA titration. Students use flowcharts to outline their self-designed experiments for determining the optimum amount of ion-exchange resin to soften their particular water sample. Thoughtful guided-inquiry experiment lets students identify the minerals removed through ion exchange and understand the practical benefits of water softening. Includes reproducible student handouts, detailed Teacher Notes and all necessary chemicals and consumable supplies. Complete for 30 students working in pairs.
Correlation to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
Science & Engineering Practices
Planning and carrying out investigations Analyzing and interpreting data Constructing explanations and designing solutions
Disciplinary Core Ideas
MS-PS1.B: Chemical Reactions MS-PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter HS-PS1.B: Chemical Reactions HS-PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter HS-PS2.B: Types of Interactions
Crosscutting Concepts
Scale, proportion, and quantity Stability and change
Performance Expectations
HS-PS2-6. Communicate scientific and technical information about why the molecular-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.