To understand why total hardness, calcium hardness, magnesium

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Calcium hardness is CaCO3 (calcium carbonate). • Magnesium hardness is MgCO3 (magnesium carbonate). These compounds have the carbonate ion CO3. 2-.
To understand why total hardness, calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, and alkalinity are expressed as CaCO3, without going into a detailed chemistry of the compounds, one can simply look at the formulas.  Total hardness = calcium hardness + magnesium hardness  Calcium hardness is CaCO3 (calcium carbonate)  Magnesium hardness is MgCO3 (magnesium carbonate) These compounds have the carbonate ion CO32- in common. Alkalinity is water ability to neutralize acid. Alkalinity in water is mainly provided by the carbonate system, starting from CO2 (carbon dioxide) as the following: CO2(g)

CO2(aq) + H2O(l) H2CO3(aq)

H+(aq) + HCO3-(aq)

H+(aq) + CO32-(aq) [Alkalinity is mainly provided by the bicarbonate ion (HCO3-) and the carbonate ion (CO32-) in water]. Additionally, hydroxide ion (OH-) contributes also to water alkalinity. Given that the anion CO32- (carbonate ion) is common to calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, and alkalinity, and considering that calcium hardness is the most dominant hardness in water (in most cases), it becomes scientifically reasonable to use calcium carbonate (CaCO3) as a unifying entity for the assessment of hardness and alkalinity in water.

Yao B. Kouame, Ph.D.