## 3500-Ca CALCIUM*

3500-Ca A. Introduction

1. Occurrence and Significance

Calcium (Ca) is the third element in Group IIA of the periodic table; it has an atomic number of 20, an atomic weight of 40.08, and a valence of 2. The average abundance of Ca in the earth’s crust is 4.9%; in soils it is 0.07 to 1.7%; in streams it is about 15 mg/L; and in groundwaters it is from 1 to  500 mg/L. The most commonforms of calcium are calcium carbonate (calcite) and calciummagnesium carbonate (dolomite). Calcium compounds are widelyused in pharmaceuticals, photography, lime, de-icing salts, pigments, fertilizers, and plasters. Calcium carbonate solubility is controlled by pH and dissolved CO 2 . The CO 2 , HCO 3 , and CO 3 2

equilibrium is the major buffering mechanism in fresh waters. Hardness is based on the concentration of calcium and magnesium salts, and often is used as a measure of potable water quality.

NOTE : Calcium is necessary in plant and animal nutrition and is an essential component of bones, shells, and plant structures. The presence of calcium in water supplies results from passage over deposits of limestone, dolomite, gypsum, and gypsiferousshale. Small concentrations of calcium carbonate combat corrosion of metal pipes by laying down a protective coating. Because precipitation of calcite in pipes and in heat-exchangers can cause damage, the amount of calcium in domestic and industrial watersis often controlled by water softening (e.g., ion exchange, reverse osmosis). Calcium carbonate saturation and water hardness are discussed in Sections 2330 and 2340, respectively.

Calcium contributes to the total hardness of water. Chemicalsoftening treatment, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, or ion exchange is used to reduce calcium and the associated hardness.

2. Selection of Method

The atomic absorption methods (3111B, D, and E) and inductively coupled plasma method (3120) are accurate means of determining calcium. The EDTA titration method gives good results for control and routine applications, but for samples containing high P levels (  50 mg/L) only the atomic absorptionor atomic emission methods are recommended because of interferences often encountered with EDTA indicators.

3. Storage of Samples

The customary precautions are sufficient if care is taken to redissolve any calcium carbonate that may precipitate on standing.



## 3500-Ca B. EDTA Titrimetric Method

1. General Discussion

a. Principle: When EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or its salts) is added to water containing both calcium and magnesium, it combines first with the calcium. Calcium can be determined directly, with EDTA, when the pH is made sufficiently high that the magnesium is largely precipitated as the hydroxide and an indicator is used that combines with calcium only. Several indicators give a color change when all of the calcium has been complexed by the EDTA at a pH of 12 to 13.

b. Interference: Under conditions of this test, the following concentrations of ions cause no interference with the calcium hardness determination: Cu 2  , 2 mg/L; Fe 2  , 20 mg/L; Fe 3  , 20 mg/L; Mn 2  , 10 mg/L; Zn 2  , 5 mg/L; Pb 2  , 5 mg/L; Al 3  , 5 mg/L; and Sn4  , 5 mg/L. Orthophosphate precipitates calcium atthe pH of the test. Strontium and barium give a positive interference and alkalinity in excess of 300 mg/L may cause an indistinct end point in hard waters.

c. Quality control (QC): The QC practices considered to be an integral part of each method can be found in Section 3020. 2. Reagents

a. Sodium hydroxide, NaOH, 1 N

. b. Indicators: Many indicators are available for the calcium titration. Some are described in the literature (see Bibliography); others are commercial preparations and also may be used. Murexide (ammonium purpurate) was the first indicator available for detecting the calcium end point; directions for its use are presented in thisprocedure. Individuals who have difficulty recognizing the murexide end point may find the indicator Eriochrome Blue Black R(color index number 202) or Solochrome Dark Blue an improvement because of the color change from red to pure blue. EriochromeBlue Black R is sodium-1-(2-hydroxy-1-naphthylazo)-2-naphthol4-sulfonic acid. Other indicators specifically designed for use as end-point detectors in EDTA titration of calcium may be used.

1) Murexide (ammonium purpurate) indicator: This indicatorchanges from pink to purple at the end point. Prepare by dissolving 150 mg dye in 100 g absolute ethylene glycol. Water solutions of the dye are not stable for longer than 1 d. A ground mixture of dye powder and sodium chloride (NaCl) provides a stable form of the indicator. Prepare by mixing 200 mg murexide with 100 g solid NaCl and grinding the mixture to 40 to 50 mesh. * Approved by Standard Methods Committee, 1997. Editorial revisions, 2011. Joint Task Group: 20th Edition—See 3500-Al.

1Titrate immediately after adding indicator because it is unstable under alkaline conditions. Facilitate end-point recognition by preparing a color comparison blank containing 2.0 mL NaOH solution, 0.2 g solid indicator mixture (or 1 to 2 drops if a solution is used), and sufficient standard EDTA titrant (0.05 to 0.10 mL) to produce an unchanging color.

2) Eriochrome Blue Black R indicator: Prepare a stable formof the indicator by grinding together in a mortar 200 mg powdered dye and 100 g solid NaCl to 40 to 50 mesh. Store in a tightly stoppered bottle. Use 0.2 g of ground mixture for the titration in the same manner as murexide indicator. During titration the color changes from red through purple to bluish purple to a pure blue with no trace of reddish or purple tint. The pH of some (not all) waters must be raised to 14 (rather than 12 to 13) by the use of 8N NaOH to get a good color change.

c. Standard EDTA titrant, 0.01 M: Prepare standard EDTA titrant and standardize against standard calcium solution as described in Section 2340C to obtain EDTA/CaCO 3 equivalence. Standard EDTA titrant, 0.0100 M

, is equivalent to 1000 mg CaCO 3/1.00 mL; use titrated equivalent for B in the calculations in 4.

3. Procedure

a. Pretreatment of water and wastewater samples: Follow the procedure described in Section 3030E or I if samples require preliminary digestion.

b. Sample preparation: Because of the high pH used in this procedure, titrate immediately after adding alkali and indicator. Use 50.0 mL sample, or a smaller portion diluted to 50 mL so that the calcium content is about 5 to 10 mg. Analyze hard waters with alkalinity higher than 300 mg CaCO 3/L by taking a smaller portion and diluting to 50 mL. Alternatively, adjust sample pH into the acid range (pH  6), boil for 1 min to dispel CO 2 , and cool before beginning titration.

c. Titration: Add 2.0 mL NaOH solution or a volume sufficient to produce a pH of 12 to 13. Stir. Add 0.1 to 0.2 g indicator mixture selected (or 1 to 2 drops if a solution is used). Add EDTA titrant slowly, with continuous stirring to the proper end point. When using murexide, check end point by adding 1 to 2 drops of titrant in excess to make certain that no further color change occurs.

4. Calculation

mg Ca/L  A  B  400.8 mL sample

Calcium hardness as mg CaCO 3 /L  A  B  1000 mL sample where:

A  mL titrant for sample and B  mg CaCO 3 equivalent to 1.00 mL EDTA titrant at the calcium indicator end point.

5. Precision and Bias

A synthetic sample containing 108 mg Ca/L, 82 mg Mg/L, 3.1 mg K/L, 19.9 mg Na/L, 241 mg Cl /L, 1.1 mg NO 3 -N/L, 0.25 mg NO 2 -N/L, 259 mg SO 4 2

/L, and 42.5 mg total alkalinity/L (contributed by NaHCO 3 ) in distilled water was analyzed in 44 laboratories by the EDTA titrimetric method, with a relative standard deviation of 9.2% and a relative error of 1.9%.

6. Bibliography

D IEHL , H. & J.L. ELLINGBOE . 1956. Indicator for titration of calcium inthe presence of magnesium using disodium dihydrogen ethylenediamine tetraacetate. Anal. Chem. 28:882. HILDEBRAND , G.P. & C.N. REILLEY . 1957. New indicator for complexometric titration of calcium in the presence of magnesium. Anal. Chem. 29:258. PATTON , J. & W. REEDER . 1956. New indicator for titration of calcium with (ethylenedinitrilo) tetraacetate. Anal. Chem. 28:1026. S CHWARZENBACH , G. 1957. Complexometric Titrations. Interscience Publishers, New York, N.Y. FURMAN , N.H. 1962. Standard Methods of Chemical Analysis, 6th ed. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., Princeton, N.J. KATZ , H. & R. NAVONE . 1964. Method for simultaneous determination of calcium and magnesium. J. Amer. Water Works Assoc. 56:121. CALCIUM (3500-Ca)/EDTA Titrimetric Method

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