The Determination of Dissolved Oxygen and Phosphate in the Charles River

Meme Tran
Rong
MW Group C

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION
The Charles River runs through about 20 cities and towns in Massachusetts,
ending at the Boston Harbor into the Atlantic Ocean. Several lakes and ponds are a part
of the Charles River, which is teeming with aquatic life and vegetation. The amount of
dissolved oxygen, that makes its way into the Charles River by photosynthesis, is crucial
to the survival of these plants and animals in the river. The dissolved oxygen varies due
to the fluctuating air pressure and temperature. Pollution and deposit of materials, such as
phosphorus, from sewer overflows, storm water runoff, fertilizers used in agriculture, and
various industries also affect the amount of dissolved oxygen in the Charles River by
providing nutrients that are sufficient for the overgrowth of algae and vegetation. This
blanket of growth does not allow oxygen to diffuse through the water, causing
eutrophication of the river, which makes it difficult for organisms under the water to
receive sunlight for surivival. Microorganisms and bacterial also use up a lot of oxygen in
the process of decomposing the dead vegetation and algae that eventually falls to the
bottom of the river. There are different levels of dissolved oxygen that have been deemed
necessary for the survival of aquatic life, but all numbers have been reported to be around
5.0 mg/L of dissolved oxygen. Levels of 3.0 to 4.0 mg/L of dissolved oxygen cause
discomfort in fish, but necessary levels of dissolved oxygen change from animal to
animal. However, if levels of dissolved oxygen drop below 2 mg/L, then it becomes
increasingly difficult for fish to survive in the Charles river. Acceptable concentrations of
phosphorus have been reported to be 0.0238 mg/L of phosphorus by the U.S. EPA. The
purpose of this laboratory was to measure the amounts of dissolved oxygen and
phosphorus in the river to determine whether the conditions were suitable for the survival
of aquatic life in the Charles River.
The dissolved oxygen level in the Charles River was determined by using the
azide modification of the iodometric Winkler titration method. This method has become
standard for the determination of dissolved oxygen in different sources of water. The
experimental procedure includes the oxidation of Manganese (II) from a manganous
sulphate solution to a higher trivalent/tetravalent oxidation state. The results
oxidation in the presence of base uses oxygen as the oxidizing agent and results
initialy in the formation of a white precipitate and later in the formation of a brown
precipitate. Next, acid and KI in the alkaline potassium iodide azide solution is
added to the oxidized brown precipitate. The precipitate is acidified and goes back
into solution simultaneously as the manganic ion is reduced back to manganous and
elemetnal iodine, which is generated via the oxidation of I- in the acidic medium.
The amount of iodine, which is generated, is proportional to the amount of oxygen,
which is present in the original sample. Finally, the sodium thiosulfate is added and
reacts with elemental iodine to produce sodium iodide. At that moment that all the
elemental iodine has been converted, the solution turns from yellow to clear. From
this reaction, we can see that 4 moles of thiosulfate are required for each mole of
oxygen, so we can calculate the amount of thiosulfate used for the titration and
relate it the amount of oxygen in the water samples.
Since phosphorus is not visible, the modified Molybdate Blue method is used to
convert the phosphorus into a visible product that is measurable. The water sample is
treated with a color developing mixture of chemicals consisting of ammonium
molybdate, sulfuric acid, ascorbic acid, and potassium antimonyl-tartrate, which reacts
with soluble phosphate to form a phosphomolybdic acid that is subsequently reduced by
the ascorbic acid to a blue complex. The reduced phosphomolybdate complex can be
observed at 880 nm in the near IR region using a UV-VIS spectrometer. The amoun tof
phosphate is calculated using the Lambert-Beer law, A = Ecl, where A is the absorbance
of the water samples read at 880 nm and E is the extinction coefficient of the reduced
phosphomolybdate complex, c is the concentration of the phosphate compound, and l is
the width of the cuvette.

PROCEDURE
Determination of Dissolved Oxygen Level. A 0.025XX M sodium thiosulfate solution
was prepared

Determination of Phosphorus Concentration.

Safety precautions were taken while handling sodium azide, which can cause
death with over-exposure, and sodium hydroxide, which can cause blindness with eye
contact and death with over-exposure. Caution was also taken when handling chloroform
and sulfuric acid, both considered carcinogens, and manganese II sulfate monohydrate,
which targets the central nervous sytem.

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

EXPLAIN MAJOR OBSERVATIONS LIKE COLOR CHANGE

RESTATE BACKGROUND 1-2 SENTENCES & GOALS
TALK ABOUT RESULTS --- GOOD? - YOUR RESULTS VS. CLASS
RESULTS
95% CI
STANDARD DEVIATIONS
SAME?
PROVIDE POSSIBLE SOURCES OF ERROR

CONCLUSION

RESTATE MAJOR RESULTS ALONG WITH ERRORS