What chemical compounds might be present in drinking water?

Do you want to know what’s in the water that you drink? This free course, What chemical compounds might be present in drinking water?, examines the chemical compounds that occur in drinking water. A high level of certain anions in water can cause environmental pollution and health problems. Cations are also important. For example, calcium salts contribute to the hardness of water and water treatment uses aluminium compounds. Additionally oxidising agents, such as ozone or chlorine, are vital in the disinfection of water. This OpenLearn course focuses on the chemistry of the p-block elements in Groups 13 to 18 of the Periodic Table.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 Water
• 1 Water
• 1.1 The water cycle and drinking water
• 1.2 The toxicity of chemicals
• Summary of Section 1
• 2 Anions in water
• 2 Anions in water
• 2.1 The nitrogen cycle
• 2.1.1 Natural nitrogen fixation
• 2.1.2 Ammonia and synthetic nitrogen fixation
• 2.1.3 Ammonium nitrate fertiliser
• 2.1.4 Nitrate in natural water
• 2.2 Arsenic pollution in the environment
• 2.2.1 Removal of arsenic oxoanions from drinking water
• Summary of Section 2
• 3 Phosphorus compounds in water
• 3 Phosphorus compounds in water
• 3.1 Phosphates in the environment
• 3.1.1 Phosphoric acid and fertilisers
• 3.2 Oxoacids
• 3.2.1 Polyacids
• 3.2.2 Nomenclature of oxoacids
• 3.2.3 Prediction of formulas
• 3.3 Condensation of oxoacids
• 3.3.1 Polyphosphates
• 3.3.2 Adenosine triphosphate
• Summary of Section 3
• 4 Cations in water
• 4 Cations in water
• 4.1 Aqueous chemistry of aluminium
• 4.1.1 Aluminium sulfate in water treatment
• 4.1.2 Aluminium and biology
• 4.1.3 Aluminium toxicity
• 4.1.4 Toxicity of thallium(I) compounds
• 4.1.5 The inert pair effect
• 4.2 Home water filters
• Summary of Section 4
• Conclusion
• Glossary
• References
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements