How could you add lead to water?

Question

It is for my science fair experiment. I am going toexperiemtn different ways to filter lead from water, but first I need to finda way to add lead to water.

Answer 1

lead gets into water from lead pipes, the solder in copper pipes, lead pots....so we are talking about chunks of lead metal just sitting in the water, being exposed to the water and maybe an atom of lead gets knocked of the metal into the water.

   The only otherway is to dissolve lead in an acid(sulfuric or HCL) and then dump that solution in the water.  Water is hardly ever 7.  It is either acidic or basic because of the ground and what is contained in the rocks and minerals.

Answer 2

Good luck lead is a little heavy.

Answer 3

Bonnie,

If you're not planning to be careful about exactly how much goes into your water, I suspect it's as easy as buying a lead weight (you can get them at hobby shops or a bait-and-tackle shop) and putting it in a glass of water for a few hours.  Enough lead ions should leach into the water that you can probably test for it with a chromate salt (like potassium chromate), which, when mixed with lead ions, forms a bright yellow precipitate that is very easy to see, even if your lead content is relatively low.  Hot water will accelerate the leaching process.

If you want to know more precisely how much lead you add to water, I recommend purchasing some lead salt (e.g., lead nitrate) from a chemical supply company and mixing a pre-weighed amount in a known measure of distilled water (which you can usually still get from a grocery or drug store).  Then use chemistry formulas to determine the amount of lead in your solution (you should use a number like "grams of lead ion per liter of water").  You may need help from your science teacher to buy lead-based salts (with terrorism threats on the rise, chem supply houses can't be too careful these days).

Good luck, work hard, and stay away from drugs.

Answer 4

Tough to say.  You might try buying some lead solder from a hardware store, cut it into small pieces, and shake it up in a 2-liter bottle with some water.

Get your parents to help you, and wear latex gloves and dust masks when you're preparing and shaking the water.