Water purification – practical videos | 14–16 students | Resource

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Learn how to purify water and test it to see if it is potable

Potable water means ‘safe to drink’. In this practical students will learn how to purify water so that it is safe to drink.

Mrs Peers-Dent of Malmesbury Educationpurifies ‘seawater’ (sodium chloride solution), using a flame test to test for sodium ions and a precipitate test to test for chloride ions before and after the distillation. If you are going to carry out this practical in a school laboratory, the CLEAPSS guidance does require the use of anti-bumping granules which are not included in this video.

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Additional information

We have collated these videos of key practical experiments to support remote teaching as part of our response to Covid-19. Teachers requested resources to help them deliver practical content without access to laboratories or equipment. We are developing further resources and welcome feedback to help us produce those you most need. Please email us or use the comment section below.