MadSci Network: Chemistry
Query:

Re: Household Chemistry

Area: Chemistry
Posted By: Jerry Franzen, Faculty Chemistry
Date: Fri Jan 10 17:43:23 1997
Message:

I'm sorry that it has taken me a while to get to this, but my server was down on some of the days that I had available.

I can offer an explanation to the part of your question regarding water.

I prefer to not give opinions about electric circuits in the home.

Tap water has certain small amounts of chlorine gas (from purification) and oxygen (even some nitrogen) gas (from contact with the air) dissolved in it.

When the water pressure is released on a sample of this water these gasses are perturbed (as in skaing a carbonated beverage) and tend to "come out of" solution forming small bubbles noticed as cloudiness. This cloudiness dissipates as the gas escapes into the atmosphere.

Another possibility is that the water warms in contact with the surrounding air and this reduces the solubility.

It your faucet has an aerator on it, this may add to the dissolved gasses, a mixing of the air with the water as it comes ut and/or a further stimulus to the release of the dissolved gases.

You should notice this phenomenon more so in the winter when the water is colder, since the solubility of these gases increases with decreasing temperatures.

I hope that this gives you the information you need. If not, let me know.

Jerry Franzen
Thomas More College
franzenj@thomasmore.edu


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