Problem Set 2 Winter 2018

CIVI361

2.47 A laboratory provides the following solids analysis for a wastewater sample: TS = 200 mg/L;
TDS = 30 mg/L; FSS = 30 mg/L. (a) What is the total suspended solids concentration of this
sample? (b) Does this sample have appreciable organic matter? Why or why not?

3.1 Find the concentration of hydronium ions, [H+], for vinegar with a pH = 3.2. Is it acidic or
basic?

3.2 A saturated solution of milk of magnesia, Mg(OH)2, has a pH of 10.5. What is the hydronium
ion concentration of the solution? Is the solution acidic or basic?

3.3 Determine the equilibrium pH of aqueous solutions of the following strong acids or bases: (a)
15 mg/L of HSO4-; (b) 10 mM NaOH; (c) 2,500 μg/L of HNO3.

3.4 What percentage of total ammonia (that is NH3, NH4+) is present as NH3 at a pH of 7? The pKa
for NH4+ is 9.3.

3.5 When Cl2 gas is added to water during the disinfection of drinking water, it hydrolyzes with
the water to form HOCl. The disinfection power of the acid HOCl is 88 times better than its
conjugate base, OCl- . The pKa for HOCl is 7.5. (a) What % of the total disinfection power (i.e.,
HOCl+OCl-) exists in the acid form at a pH = 6? (b) At pH = 7?

3.6 What pH is required to reduce a high concentration of a dissolved Mg2+ to 25 mg/L? The
solubility product for the following reaction is 10-11.16.

3.7 What would be the saturation concentration (mole/L) of oxygen (O2) in a river in winter when
the air temperature is 0°C if the Henry's law constant at this temperature is 2.28 × 10-3 mole/L-
atm? What would the answer be in units of mg/L?

3.8 A first-order reaction that results in the destruction of a pollutant has a rate constant of 0.l/day.
(a) How many days will it take for 90% of the chemical to be destroyed? (b) How long will it take
for 99% of the chemical to be destroyed? (c) How long will it take for 99.9% of the chemical to
be destroyed?

3.9 Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations are measured in an air-quality study and decrease from
5 ppmv to 2 ppmv in 4 min with a particular light intensity. (a) What is the first-order rate constant
for this reaction? (b) What is the half-life of NO2 during this study? (c) What would the rate
constant need to be changed to in order to decrease the time required to lower the NO2
concentration from 5 ppmv to 2 ppmv in 1.5 min?

3.10 If the rate constant for the degradation of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) at 20°C is
0.23/day, what is the value of the BOD rate constant at 5°C and 25°C? Assume that equals
1.1.

3.11 What is the pH of a solution of 0.35 M H2SO4, 0.72 M NaOH, and 0.2 M HNO3?

January 23, 2018