Aerogel: Moles & Ionic Radius
Week #25: How Much For The Filter To Be Effective…
Preface! ✨
Hello everyone!
My intentions for writing these articles are:
- Explain technical information about aerogels in simple terms (to the public)
- Store information and habits for my future self and others (in <7 minutes)
Coolio? Sweet. Enjoy the series :-)
Not One Size Fits All…⚛️
Let’s consider the adsorption mechanisms of the filter before receiving a cash injection…
The heavy metal ions & the alginate pores may not attach.
Not because of a molecular interaction…
It is present…
The cationic presence (positive ion) from the heavy metal ion & the anionic presence (negative ion) from the alginate creates a bond…
It is a bond similar to a magnet.
Opposites Attract.
But the caveat is in the pore size & the ionic radius of the heavy metal ion.
Picture a baby toy with shapes that you plug into holes.
A correct shape is designed for a designated hole.
The shape will not fit in the hole if:
- Too small
- Wrong shape
- Too big
This is the situation that you should be concerned with…
The water purifier will have some tendencies to adsorb particular heavy metal ions because of its size…
Specifically, the ionic radius.
The radius of the Alginate-MGDA-Na3 Aerogel is approximately 0.102 nm.
We got the radius by measuring the Ca2+ ions deep inside the water purifier…
They come from the gelation bath mix to form the beads.
The following list is the tendencies of the ionic radiuses of common heavy metal ions located in the water:
- Cadmium II | 0.095 nanometers
- Nickel II | 0.071 nanometers
- Copper II | 0.073 nanometers
- Cobalt II | 0.074 nanometers
- Silver Ion | 0.115 nanometers
- Gold Ion | 0.137 nanometers
- Lead II | 0.119 nanometers
The tendency will be that cadmium will be adsorbed more than any other heavy metal ion…
Because the radius is almost equal to the MGDA Na-3 Aerogel.
Errors Revised & Corrected.✔️
© 2023 by Carlos Manuel Jarquín Sánchez. All Rights Reserved.
