Water

Change in the physical states of water:

Three physical states: solid (ice), liquid (water), gas (water vapour/steam)
1. Melting [ice -> water]
: the change from solid state to liquid state
: takes place at a fixed temperature (0℃) <- melting point
: temperature remains unchanged during the process of melting
: When the ice melts, it absorbs energy from the surroundings (e.g. air and
water), their particles have more energy to vibrate -> they break free
their bonds and can move around due to the weakened force of attraction

2. Freezing [water -> ice]

: the change from liquid state to solid state
: takes place at a fixed temperature (0℃) <- freezing point
: temperature remains unchanged during the process of freezing
: When water freezes, it releases energy -> the particles lose energy to
move
around -> they vibrate in a fixed position -> has a stronger force of
attraction ->
changes into solid state

3. Boiling [water -> steam]

: the change from liquid to gas
: takes place at a fixed temperature (100℃) <- boiling point
: temperature remains unchanged during the process of boiling
: When water is heated to its boiling point, the particles gain more energy
to
move around faster, which weakens the force of attraction and breaks the
bond between each of them, that makes them free to move around

4. Evaporation [water -> water vapour]

: the change from liquid to gas
: takes place at any temperature
: Has the same theory as boiling, however the temperature doesn’t affect
the
process.
: Factors that affect evaporation- amount of water, temperature, humidity,
airflow, surface area exposed
: e.g. Wet clothes dry after some time in the Sun

5. Condensation [water vapour -> water]

: the change from gas to liquid
: takes place at any temperature
: When the gas is cooled down, their particles lose energy and won’t have
enough
energy to overcome the forces of attraction, condensing the gas into liquid
: e.g. When the water vapour in the air comes into contact with cold
surfaces, it
condenses into water, forming water droplets on the surfaces
: e.g. Steam condenses on the cold surface of the glass lid and forms water

droplets
Water Cycle
The Earth has almost the same amount of water as it had millions of years ago
In nature, water goes through a cycle called the water cycle

Progress

Evaporation: Water in seas/ rivers absorbs the energy from the Sun
and evaporates to form water vapour  carried upwards by warm air
beneath it
- Condensation: The colder air in the higher sky cools the water
vapour and it condenses to dorm water droplets  join to form
clouds
- Clouds may be carried by wind to other places
- More water vapour condenses  more water droplets  cloud grows
larger and heavier  water droplets become so heavy they fall as
rain, snow or hail

Explanation

The water cycle is powered by the Sun

Cycle: Water in seas, rivers etc. absorbs the energy from the Sun  Water evaporates to
become water vapour  Carried upwards by warm air  Water vapour cools and
condenses  Clouds are formed  Water droplets fall from clouds as rain, snow or hail as
they are too heavy

Factors affecting the rate of evaporation

Factors:
- temperature
- humidity
- airflow
- exposed surface area
- (amount of water)

Increasing rate of evaporation:

- temperature
: higher
- humidity
: lower
- airflow
: more
- exposed surface area
: larger

Dissolving: Solute, solvent and solution

Solution: When a substance dissolves in a liquid [solute + solvent]
Solute: The substance that dissolves
Solvent: The liquid which the substance dissolves in

Universal solvent: Water

Water is a good solvent. It can dissolve many different substances
- Many kinds of substances can dissolve in water [e.g. table salt]
 soluble

Soluble vs Insoluble
Soluble: Table salt, sugar, flour
Insoluble: Pepper, sand, chalk, wood

Factors affecting the rate of dissolving

Factors:
Rate of stirring
Temperature of the solvent
Surface area of the solute

Increasing rate of dissolving:

Rate of stirring
: the solution is stirred
: larger
Temperature of the solvent
: higher
Surface area of the solute
: larger

Solubility
Solubilities of substances:
Different substances have different solubilities in water
Some substances dissolve more and others dissolve less in the same amount of solvent
at a given temperature
- Rate of dissolving = time taken for the solute to dissolve
- Solubility = Maximum amount of solute which can dissolve in a given amount of
solvent at a
fixed temperature
A fixed amount of solvent can dissolve a limited amount of solute  solubility

Solubility at different temperatures

The solubility of a substance in water changes with temperature
Rate of stirring doesn’t affect the solubility of a substance

The importance of water

Water: essential for life on Earth (e.g. Humans can survive up to several weeks without
food; One will likely die within a few days without water)
All forms of life contain water (e.g. Water makes up about 70% of our body weight)
We use water in many ways in daily life (e.g. washing, cooking…)

Impurities in natural water

HK: water is treated in water treatment plants before it is supplied to our homes
We can get clean water when we turn on the water tap

Natural water
contains many kinds of impurities
-> soluble impurities: salt
-> insoluble impurities: leaves, sand
contains microorganisms

Microorganisms
- Too small to see with the naked eyes
- Observable with the help of a microscope
- Microorganisms often found in natural water:
- Amoeba
- E. coli
- Some Microorganisms are harmful to us
- may cause diarrhoeal diseases and other diseases
- e.g. typhoid and cholera
- E. coli  diarrhoeal diseases

Methods of water purification

Sedimentation
-> common method to purify water
-> can remove heavy insoluble
impurities (e.g. mud/ sand) from
water
-> during sedimentation, the heavy
insoluble impurities sink to the
bottom of the container
=> sediment
-> water above the sediments becomes clearer, some small insoluble impurities are still
suspended in it

Filtration
-> remove small insoluble impurities in
water
-> apparatus: filter columns + filter
paper

Filter paper has many tiny pores

Most insoluble impurities are larger than
the pores
These impurities cannot pass through
the pores and are trapped by the filter
paper
=> residue
 The liquid that passes through the filter paper is called filtrate
Microorganisms and soluble impurities (e.g. salt) are smaller than the pores of the filter
paper  pass through the filter paper

Distillation
Sedimentation and filtration cannot remove soluble impurities and microorganisms from
water
-> Water boils and changes into
steam
-> Steam condenses back to
water upon cooling in the
condenser
=> Water collected: distilled
water
Distillation can remove
insoluble impurities, soluble
purities and microorganism

All methods

Method Heavy insoluble Insoluble impurities Soluble Microorganism

impurities suspending in water impurities s

Sedimentation ----------------
Filtration --------------------- ------------------------
Distillation --------------------- ---------------------------- --------------------- ---------------

Methods to kill microorganisms in water

Chlorination
Kill microorganisms in water by adding in chlorine
Can kill most microorganisms in water
=> chlorination
Used in many water treatment plants/ swimming pools
✕ Toxic
✕ Irritating smell
✕ Too much chlorine may irritate our skin and eyes

Ozone
Used to sterilize the water in swimming pools
Used in some water treatment works for killing microorganisms
✓ Doesn’t have an irritating smell
✓ More effective
✕ Expensive
✕ Inhaling ozone may cause headache and vomiting

Ultraviolet light
Used in portable water purifiers, drinking fountains and aquariums
Fluoridation
Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay
A common ingredient in toothpastes
Fluoride is added to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay
=> fluoridation

Water treatment process in HK

Water source
70-80% = Dongjiang water
20-30% = Rainwater collected in
reservoirs
Water from both sources is treated in
water treatment works before supplied to
the public

Water treatment process in HK

-> involves sedimentation + filtration in a
larger scale

Key steps in water treatment:

1. Water is filtered through screens to
remove large objects
2. Alum is added and mixed in the rapid
mixing chamber -> makes the insoluble impurities sin water stick together
The water then passes into a sedimentation tank -> removes small and suspended
insoluble impurities
3. Water is filtered through layers of sands and gravel in a filtration tank -> removes
small and suspended insoluble impurities that remained
4. Chlorine is added to kill microorganisms
5. Fluoride is added to help prevent tooth decay