Soft water is a surface water containing low ion concentrations and especially low calcium and magnesium ions. Soft water naturally occurs where rainfall and river drainage flow are formed from hard rock, water resistance and bad calcium. Examples in England include Snowdonia in Wales and the Western Highlands in Scotland.
This term can also be used to describe water that has been produced by the process of softening water even though the water is more accurately called softened water . In this case water also contains high levels of sodium and/or bicarbonate ions.
Because soft water has few calcium ions, there is no inhibition of soap soap action and soap scum is not formed in normal leaching. Similarly, soft water does not produce calcium deposits in the water heating system. Water that is not softly referred to as hard water.
In the UK, water is considered soft if its hardness is less than 50 mg/l of calcium carbonate. Water containing more than 50 mg/l of calcium carbonate is called hard water. In the United States soft water is classified as having less than 60 mg/l of calcium carbonate.
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Source of violence
Water hardness is determined by the concentration of multivalent cations in water. Common cations found in hard water include Ca 2 and Mg 2 . These ions enter the water supply by washing off the mineral in the aquifer. Minerals containing calcium are calcite and gypsum. Common magnesium minerals are dolomite (which also contains calcium). Rainwater and distilled water are soft, because they contain few ions.
Areas with complex geology can produce varying degrees of water hardness within short distances.
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Health impact
Calcium and magnesium ions are required for normal metabolism in many organisms including mammals. The lack of these ions in soft water has raised concerns about the possible health effects of soft drinking water, including sudden cardiac death.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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