Inorganic Chemistry

All natural water contains some amount of other constituents such as dissolved oxygen or sand or calcium.  As water travels, it can collect various types and amounts of such constituents, or impurities. The impurities in water depend on the nature of the soils and rocks it has passed through. The impurities can be classified as:

  • Suspended solids:  sand, clay, mud, silt, and organic matter
  • Dissolved gases: oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide
  • Dissolved salts: chloride, sulfate, bicarbonate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese
  • Pollutants: phosphates, nitrates, pesticides, and herbicides

Some impurities, when present in high levels, can make the water unsafe for consumption.  The water must be treated to reduce the concentration of the harmful impurities or another water source may need to be found.  This is one of the reasons that the testing of water quality is so important.

MBAS performs a variety of analyses to evaluate water quality.  MBAS can test for specific impurities, or analytes.  We also offer the option of selecting one of our testing panels (packets) to analyze for a wider range of parameters.  These include:

  • Irrigation Suitability Panel: this panel is designed to test for sodium content and other ions that can influence plant growth.  This panel is a great option if your water source is only intended for irrigation use.
  • Domestic Suitability Panel: this panel includes testing for the hardness* and corrosivity of water as well as common ions that can influence the quality of drinking water such as nitrate and fluoride.
  • General Water Quality Panel: this panel includes all of the analyses found in the Domestic Suitability panel as well as some of the more common drinking water heavy metal contaminants like arsenic and lead.
  • Title 22: the Title 22 panel is a more comprehensive package of tests that includes all of the analyses found in the General Water Quality panel plus more heavy metals and cyanide.  This package also includes analysis of physical parameters such as color and odor which affect the aesthetics of the water.
  • R.O. / Softener Panel – New:  this is a smaller panel that is designed to determine if a home water softener and/or reverse osmosis (R.O.) system is operating effectively.

*Hardness of water is influenced by the amount of calcium and magnesium in the water.  While not harmful to consume, hard water can result in scale buildup and the depositing of hard water spots in showers and on dishes.

Other analyses may be added to any of our panels at additional cost according to the price list. To see all analyses included in each panel as well as prices, please see our price list.