Q27
1 markMCQSection B

In the neighbourhood of your school, hard water required for an experiment is not available. Select from the following groups of salts available in your school, a group each member of which, if dissolved in distilled water, will make it hard:

Also asked in:2016
Carbon and its Compounds
Soaps and Detergents

Options

(a)Sodium chloride, calcium chloride
(b)Potassium chloride, sodium chloride
(c)Sodium chloride, magnesium chloride
(d)Calcium chloride, magnesium chloride
Official Answer

Calcium chloride, magnesium chloride

Hard waterCalcium chlorideMagnesium chlorideCalcium ionsMagnesium ionsScum formation

Marking Scheme

  • 11 mark for identifying calcium chloride and magnesium chloride as the salts that cause hardness (option d).

Hint

Recall which metal ions are responsible for making water hard. Hardness is caused by divalent cations of alkaline earth metals, specifically calcium and magnesium.

Quick Oral Answer

Water hardness is caused by calcium (Ca2+Ca^{2+}) and magnesium (Mg2+Mg^{2+}) ions. Dissolving calcium chloride (CaCl2CaCl_2) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2MgCl_2) in distilled water provides these ions, making the water hard.

Analysis & Explanation

Hardness of water is caused by the presence of dissolved hydrogen carbonates, chlorides, and sulphates of calcium (Ca2+Ca^{2+}) and magnesium (Mg2+Mg^{2+}) ions. When calcium chloride (CaCl2CaCl_2) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2MgCl_2) are dissolved in distilled water, they dissociate to release Ca2+Ca^{2+} and Mg2+Mg^{2+} ions, which react with soap to form an insoluble precipitate (scum), thereby making the water hard. Sodium (Na+Na^+) and potassium (K+K^+) salts (like NaClNaCl and KClKCl) do not cause hardness in water. Thus, option (d) is the correct choice, while options (a), (b), and (c) are incorrect because they contain sodium or potassium salts.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1Students often select options containing sodium chloride (NaClNaCl) because it is a common salt, forgetting that sodium ions do not cause water hardness.

Interesting Facts

Hard water is not harmful to health, but it reduces the cleansing capacity of soap and leads to scale buildup in industrial boilers and household pipes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many marks does this question carry in CBSE Class 10 Science 2016?

This question carries 1 mark in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2016 examination.

Which chapter does this question come from in Science?

This question is from the chapter "Carbon and its Compounds" in the CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus.

What topic does this question cover in Science?

This question covers the topic "Soaps and Detergents" from CBSE Class 10 Science.

Has this question appeared in other CBSE Science papers?

Yes, a similar question appeared in the 2016 CBSE Class 10 Science paper.

What type of question is this in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2016 paper?

This is a MCQ question from Section B in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2016 paper.