Analyzing Persian Gulf Crisis Between Iraq And Kuwait Essays

Analyzing Persian Gulf Crisis Between Iraq And Kuwait In analyzing the Persian Gulf Crisis originally between Iraq and Kuwait, one must first understand the factors that contributed to the conflict. In 1980, Iraq carried out a major air and land attack on Iran. For eight years, the Iran-Iraq War grew more intense, until the U.S. accidentally downed an Iranian plane, killing 290 passengers. Three factors contributed to this war: (1) territorial dispute, (2) religious disputes between Islamic moderates and fundamentalists, and more importantly, (3) a personality conflict (also known as ego-mania) between Saddam Hussein, Iraqs president, and Ayatollah Khomein, the leader of Iran. During this war, the U.S. began to provide protection to Kuwaiti tankers, and hence, resulted in military conflicts with Iranian speedboats. Indirectly, the U.S. supported Iraqs actions in this war. While the U.S. was busy protecting Kuwait, Kuwait supported Iraq financially by giving it more than $10 billion. At the close of the Iran-Iraq War in 1990, Iraq was ea ger to pay its international debt. But how? Iraqs chief export was petroleum. According to Iraq, Kuwait was providing a surplus of oil in the international community by exceeding it assigned OPEC quota. Furthermore, Iraq accused Kuwait of stealing nearly $24 billion worth of oil from a location straddling their border. With his back against the wall, Saddam Hussein demanded forgiveness of the debt and $13 to $15 billion in reparations. After little progress in two months, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Immediately after the invasion, the U.S. led a coalition of states determined to protect Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Soviet Union was a part of this coalition. For the first time in history, the two superpowers were cooperating, rather than impeding, the Security Councils peacekeeping actions. Though the U.S. indirectly supported Iraq in the past, the Soviet Union ironically served as Iraqs principal supplier of weapons during the 1970s and 1980s. Now, the Soviet Union was teaming in a surprising joint initiative to liberate Kuwait form Iraq. This essay does not attempt to relabel Iraqs actions as just. It merely points out the false security blanket the U.S. and Soviet Union helped to give Iraq. They supported Iraq in a virtually pointless war with Iran, and when Iraq was drowning with the balance of the war and no life jacket its chief export petroleum the world teamed up against her. In any dispute, whether between children or countries, the peacemaker must indicate an understanding, not justification, of acts of war. Just as a child rebels against a parent that does not understand, a country does as such against a world that does not understand. Though the superior usually wins the fight, emotions and thoughts of retaliation only fester in the minds and hearts of the other victim of war. This statement cannot be stated at a more important time in history, as terrorist attack major landmarks in the United States. The offender seeks recognition of a cause. Do just that. Recognize and seek an understanding of the reaso ns and then move on to further actions. Political Issues

Legends Born Not Created essays

Legends Born Not Created essays The greatness of an individual is somewhat determined by contributions made to ones race and assistance provided to ones country. Perhaps, once in a generation, or even rarer, once in a lifetime, there exists that person, created by God, who not only contributes to a race, assists their country, but voyages far beyond greatness and inspires the world. Such a man, such a legend, no, such a hero was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia Martin Luther King, Jr. This ordinary man, this individual of theology, this legend, had a dream that was created to last far beyond his own mortality. Through leadership forged with determination and steeled with bravery, a foundation was laid that would lead us all to the promised land of equality. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the formation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to the March on Memphis, Dr. King remains a bastion (leader) of Black Power. Though the parapet surrounding Dr. King would be breached in Memphis, the work of this man to instill moral right will forever live. Through beliefs imparted in a small Baptist church in Atlanta, Dr. King would lead the March on a nation divided by color and separated by an ocean of indifference. His battle to have his children judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character required more than leadership. With bulldog tenacity, (Determination) Dr. King would rally a nation, armed with little more than the teachings of Ghandi and an eloquence of speech. Though Rosa Parks provided the impetus for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. Kings resolute determination propelled the issue to the United States Supreme Court. The Stride Toward Freedom and Kings manipulation of the public psyche had begun. Using the pulpit provided at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, King sojourned with an issue lesser ...

Formal justification report to an organization making a recommendation Research Proposal

Formal justification report to an organization making a recommendation for eco paper - Research Proposal Example The report proposes a greener approach to the building and construction sector to ensure that that as domestic and commercial built environment increases, there should be measures that have to be followed in ensuring that buildings are energy efficient, with a view of reducing the carbon load caused by both domestic and commercial usage in heating, air conditioning and cooling. Other resources such as water should also be utilized in the best way possible to ensure sustainability. Some buildings such as L60 building in Melbourne and Comcast Center in Philadelphia have elaborated the leadership in built environment impact of reducing global warming through being energy efficient. Such buildings serve as the best examples that the program should be tailored to emulate and policies put in place, to enforce new and old buildings to accord to these policies. This is due to the wide ranging benefits that is achieved though energy efficient designs on the long term. There is to put into per spectives some of the technologies successfully implement in other places to use to achieve the same benefits. Sustainable Architecture & Building 1.0 Introduction: Overview The current globalised world in industrialization has led to massive increase in environmental pollution. The environmental pollution and the release of green house gases to the atmosphere are two issues that have become a menace to the current order in life. There are many organizations and government initiatives that have been set up to find measures that would be used to reduce the environmental impact of greenhouse gases, and saving of other resources such as water that are becoming scarce after each day. These organization and government policies have come up with measures that are targeted to the general manufacturing sectors and service sectors. This leaves an important cause of pollution unaddressed; the domestic and commercial houses. The Department of Built Environment and Urbanization has a responsibi lity to put up measures that if implemented in the building sector would have environmental degradation through release of green house gases reduced significantly. This call for implementing measures and policies that would require all the modern houses and those under construction to ensure efficiency in energy utility in a bid to ensure sustainable development that is friendly to the environment. There is a need for architects, clients and engineers to cooperate in designing and constructing domestic and commercial buildings to ensure the reduction of carbon load that is mainly caused by overreliance on conventional energy sources in both commercial and domestic buildings. As the country relies heavily on coal and hydropower sources of energy, the carbon burden produced by these energy sources has been increasing daily as the domestic and commercial power demands soars to record levels. The Australian households use about 92% of conventional energy, with only 8% being tapped form renewable sources. This has led the domestic usage or households to contribute to about

Evaluate Various Organizational Perspectives Essay

Evaluate Various Organizational Perspectives - Essay Example in place, an organization can be described as a unit or group of people that utilizes skills (knowledge) to perform tasks that achieve a universal goal. An organization has a systematic structure that consists of management with components based on regulations such as laws (form and nature) (Draft, 2007). Organization theory is a collection of principles that suggests an appropriate way of organizational management. Organizational theories encompass the organizational structures and designs. Another aspect of organizational theory is that it articulates internal and external relationships of organizations (Argyris, 2001). Organizational theory is multidisciplinary as it derives its principles from arts, sciences and humanities. The multidisciplinary aspect of organizational theory makes studying organization theory fascinating and challenging. Most scholars like the challenge of thinking in an interdisciplinary manner. A second reason to study organizational theory is that with the right attitude an individual will acquire or improve his/her managerial skills. Organizational theory covers crucial management areas such as strategic finance, marketing, human resource, operations communication and information technology (Grint, 2005). A cogent theory should have a clear non-complex design. The theory should also reflect on culture in regard to its principles. Finally, a theory should outline principles that act as guidelines in the course of change. This calls for theories to be flexible in order for them to meet these standards (Grint, 2005). The multiple perspectives in organization theory create open mindedness especially in regard to management of the organization. This is because various perspectives provide for different causes of action for situations. This aspect of diversity is also necessary when it comes to dealing with change as the theories provide alternative courses of action (Hales,

The Rise Of Melaka

The Rise Of Melaka IN 1511,despite the brave efforts of its defenders the last defences of Malacca was overwhelmed in the face of a fierce and sustained Portuguese invasion.Sultan Mahmud and his remaining fighting men were finally forced to abandon the city and retreated to Pahang before moving to Johor where his descendents founded the Sultanate Of Johore which lasted into 1914 . The fall of Malacca to the Portuguese brought to an end more than a hundred years of Malay rule. At its height, the sultanate was one of the worlds busiest emporia, attracting ships from the Middle-East, India, China, the Ryukyu, and the surrounding islands of the Archipelago. During the period, Malay wealth and power dominated the region. It was also an influential Islamic centre.It was an international enterport of its day the same way Singapore is to us today. Scholars generally agree that the fall of the Malacca sultanate marked a turning point in Malaysian and world history. But they disagree as to the nature of that importance. Many Western writers portray the fall of Malacca as ushering in a new political and economic order in Malaysia and South-East Asia, one dominated by the West. Others, including Asian scholars, dispute this. They insist that the Portuguese Empire was really a commercial enterprise based on a series of strategically-located fortified posts. The Portuguese were never able to impose an influence in the way the Malacca sultanate once did. Within the sphere of power in the Straits of Malacca, the Portuguese were only one of them.And unlike the Malacca Empire did not expand its influence beyond the City of Malacca. From the Western perspective, the success of the Portuguese in Asia was of epoch making importance. The capture of Malacca was the highlight of nearly a hundred years of Portuguese exploration. Prior to this, Western traders had travelled overland to reach China. But it was only in 1498 that a Portuguese fleet under Vasco da Gama finally rounded the Cape of Good Hope and arrived at the Malabar Coast of India. For the first time, a Western fleet from Europe had reached Asia. Adam Smith, in his classic Wealth of Nations, declared this as one of the two great events recorded in human history. The other, according to him, was the discovery of The New World(America) For a long time Europe had searched for a sea route to China and the East. But what motivated countries such as Portugal and Spain to undertake early explorations and to seek territorial expansion? Portugal was then only a small and poor country of about a estimated 1 million people. A mixture of motives such as scientific curiosity, adventure, profits, and religious zeal explains the support given by the state in the early Portuguese and Spanish explorations. One of the earliest patrons was Prince Henry of the Portuguese ruling house and he was keenly interested in science and geography. But perhaps the overriding factor was that there were profits to be made in the trade of spices. During the Crusades from the 11th to the 13th century, Christian knights and pilgrims had acquired the tastes of the Mediterranean, including spices. Spices then meant Eastern luxuries but pepper, nutmeg, clovers, and cinnamon were the more highly sought. These various spices soon became essential for food preservation and preparation in the pre-refrigeration era of Europe. But the spice trade was controlled by Arabs and Indian Muslims who dominated the Indian Ocean. Europe could only obtain pepper and cinnamon through the middlemen merchants of Genoa and Venice. Religious zeal was also behind the attempt to weaken Arab and Indian Muslim control of the spice trade. To this could be added the evangelical hope to bring the gospel to non-Christian lands. But the Portuguese had very little navigational knowledge to get to Asia. Furthermore, the Muslims controlled long stretches of the waters. Some explorers decided to try a different route. Hence, six years before Da Gamas voyage, Christopher Columbus sailed westward, believing this to be a shorter and easier way to Asia. Instead, he reached America. It took several exploratory voyages down the west coast of Africa before Da Gama finally made it to India. If immediate returns were to be measured, then the expedition had really little to show. The trip had lasted more than two years and, of the original crew of 170, only 54 survived. The glass beads, trinkets and textiles brought to Calicut, India, by the Portuguese found no demand. On its way back, Da Gamas mission resorted to seizing a cargo of spices from a small Muslim ship. From a wider view, Da Gamas expedition must also be seen as really a modest maritime feat compared to Arab seamen who had been circumnavigating Africa for centuries before him. Arabs traded over long distances stretching from ports of the Mediterranean through to India and to China. By the time of Chinas Tang dynasty, there was a large community of Muslim merchants in Guangzhou (Khanfu to the Arabs). Detailed Arab navigational manuals such as by Ibn Majid provided sailing information from Africa to China. Likewise, Chinese ships had by the 9th century been trading regularly at Quilon, a port just south of Calicut. The use of the compass and advances in ship technology helped Chinese overseas trade. More than a hundred years before Da Gama, Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho) led a Ming fleet of 62 large ships that called on rulers in the South-East Asian region. In the next few years, the Ming emperors sent out six more expeditions. One of these led by Admiral Zheng He reached the east African ports of Malindi and Mogadishu as well as Aden and Hormuz in the Arabian Sea-Persian Gulf area. For Western scholars, Da Gamas expedition defined the beginning of a new epoch in world history. For over a thousand years, Europe had been on the defensive, having to fight off the Islamic and then the Mongol threats. According to British historian Eric Hobsbawm, Europe after Vasco da Gama took a more assertive international role and over the next 500 years gained hegemonic influence over most parts of Asia. The Portuguese first, and then the Spaniards, the Dutch, the British, and the French carved out empires. It was under two viceroys, Francisco de Almeida (1505-09) and Afonso dAlbuquerque (1509-15) that Portugals Asian empire, the Estado da India, was created. DAlbuquerque personally led naval campaigns to seize strategic points along the major trade routes. Goa was captured in 1510, Malacca in 1511, and Hormuz at the entrance of the Persian Gulf in 1515. The Portuguese took over Malacca but the city never regained the prosperity and the power that was seen during the sultanate period. Once Malacca was no longer ruled by Malays, it lost the daulat, or legitimacy, to command tributes and trade from the surrounding states. Where there was one dominant emporium in the Straits of Malacca in the 15th century, by the turn of the 16th there were several. The Portuguese presence survived largely by allying itself with one or several of the local states. From the local historians point of view, the fall of Malacca had at least three other major impacts on the immediate course of South-East Asian history. Firstly, the shift of Muslims merchants from Malacca contributed to the rise of Aceh. New commercial prosperity and political power strengthened Acehs claim to being the new Islamic centre in the Straits. Aceh, at the height of its power in the 16th and 17th centuries, conquered most of north Sumatra and extended influence over the Peninsular west coast states. The Acheh push to the coast states were anyway interrupted by The Portuguese Empire The Johore Empire which after the fall of Malacca took control of most of the Malacca former Vassal states such as Pahang,Perak,Terengganu and Temasik(Singapore).The three powers continued to struggle with each other for control of the Malacca straits trade on into the 18th century. The Sultanate of Melaka or Malacca Sultanate (Malay: Kesultanan Melayu Melaka) was a Malay sultanatecentered in the nowadays state of Melaka, Malaysia. Traditional historical treatise marks circa 1400 as the founding year of the sultanate by a traitor Malay Raja of Singapura, Iskandar Shah, who was also known in certain accounts as Parameswara. The view however is being compete by a new historical contract that place the founding year in circa 1262. At the height of the sultanates influence in the 15th century, its capital grew into one of the most important entrepots of its time, with domain covering much of the Malay peninsula, Riau Islands and a significant portion of the east coast of Sumatra. As a noisy international trading harbor, Melaka appeared as a center for Islamic tutorial and dissemination, and encouraged the development of the Malay language, literature and arts. It heralded the golden age of Malay sultanates in the archipelago, in which Classical Malay became the lingua franca of the Maritime Southeast Asia and Jawi script became the primary medium for historical, religious and intellectual exchange. It is through these intellectual, spiritual and cultural developments, the Melakan era witnessed the enculturation of a Malay status, the Malayisation of the region and the subsequent formation of an Alam Melayu. In 1511, the capital of Melaka fell to the Portuguese Empire, forcing the last Sultan, Mahmud Shah (r. 1488-1511), to decline to the further reaches of his empire, where his progeny established new ruling dynasties, Johor and Perak. The legacy of the sultanate remained, with significance lies in its far-reaching political and cultural legacy, which, arguably, continues to be felt in modern times. For centuries, Melaka has been held up as an exemplar of Malay-Muslim civilization. It established systems of trade, diplomacy, and governance that persisted well into the 19th century, and introduced concepts such as daulat- a distinctly Malay notion of sovereignty that continues to shape of a new generation understanding of Malay kingship. Before the arrival of the first Sultan, Malacca was a fishing village to live by local Malays. Malacca was founded by Parameswara, also known as Iskandar Shah or Sri Majara, the last Raja of Singapura (present day Singapore) following a Majapahit attack in 1377. He found his way to Malacca around 1400 where he found a good port-it was accessible in all seasons and on the strategically located small point of the Malacca Straits. According to a popular legend, Parameswara was resting under a tree near a river while hunting, when one of his dogs cornered a mouse deer. In self-defence, the mouse deer pushed the dog into the river. Impressed by the courage of the deer, and taking it as a propitious omen of the weak overcoming the powerful, Parameswara decided on the spot to found an empire on that very spot. He named it Melaka after the tree under which he had taken shelter, the Melaka tree (Malay: Pokok Melaka). In collaboration with united countries from the sea-people (orang laut), the wandering proto-Malay privateers of the Straits, he established Malacca as an international port by compelling passing ships to call there, and establishing fair and secure facilities for warehousing and trade. Mass settlement of Chinese, mostly from the imperial and merchant fleet occurred during the dynasty of Parameswara in the nearby of Bukit Cina (Chinese Hill), which was perceived as having excellent Feng Shui. Palace of Malaccas Malay Sultanate came from its strategic location, Malacca was an important stopping point for Zheng Hes fleet. To enhance relations, Hang Li Po, according to local folklore a daughter of the Ming Emperor of China, arrived in Malacca, accompanied by 500 attendants, to marry Sultan Manshur Shah who reigned from 1456 until 1477. Her attendants married locals and settled mostly in Bukit China (Bukit Cina). (See Zheng He in Malacca). At the height of its power, the Sultanate of Malacca ruled over the southern Malay Peninsula and much of Sumatra. Its rise helped to hold off the Thais southward expansion, as well as hasten the decline of the rival Majapahit Empire of Java, which had been declining in power as Malacca rose. Malacca was also pivotal in the spread of Islam in the Malay Archipelago. After Vietnam (then known as Annam) destroyed Champa in the 1471 Vietnamese encroachment of Champa, they engaged in hostilities with Malacca with the intent of conquest. In the 9th month of the year 1481 envoys arrived with the Malacca again sent envoys to China in 1481 to inform the Chinese that, while Malaccan abassador were returning to Malacca from China in 1469, the Vietnamese attacked the Malaccans, killing some of them while castrating the young and enslaving them. The Malaccans reported that Vietnam was in control of Champa and also sought to conquer Malacca, but the Malaccans did not fight back, because they did not want to fight against another state that was a tributary to China without approval from the Chinese. They enquired to face the Vietnamese party to China which was in China at the time, but the Chinese inquire them since the disturbance was years old, they could do nothing about it, and the Emperor sent a letter to the Vietnamese ruler responsibility him for the incident. The Chinese Emperor also ordered the Malaccans to lift soldiers and fight back with violent force if the Vietnamese attacked them again.

Moderating Conflict

According to Barrosse (2007, p.210) there are three main ways to deal with conflict: â€Å"Try to change the other party, try to alter the conflict conditions, [or changing] your own communication and/or perceptions.† Each of these methods is employed by the average person when faced with conflict; however they are not all equally successful when it comes to actually moderating a difference of opinion.   When it comes to taking control of uncomfortable situations, one is certainly better off avoiding the first method. Trying to change the person you are dealing with so that they see your point of view is â€Å"a natural response [and is] usually highly unsuccessful† (Barrosse, 2007, p.210). We are all inclined to be stubborn about our own situation, and even though a compromise would generally calm the other party and afford peace, we as humans are quite unwilling to let our side of the story slip past unnoticed. The fact is, unless we get over this natural tendency to advocate our own viewpoint, there is no such thing as effective conflict moderation. When people are forced to see the other side of the argument through authoritative measures, â€Å"a subterranean resentment and desire to retaliate may well emerge† (ibid). â€Å"It is no accident that Aristotle wrote about the ‘Golden Mean’ and Buddha preached about the ‘Middle Way’† (Barrosse, 2007, p.214). These great philosophers understood that without compromise, there is no moving forward; without finding a middle ground between differing parties we will all remain isolated and controlled by our own dogged opinions. When we employ the second method of conflict moderation – trying to change the conditions of the disagreement – we are attempting neither to find a middle ground nor to ‘win’ the dispute. Changing the situation is merely a way of trying to disengage from the conflict, and quickly. This can work on a superficial level, in that the situation is handled speedily, but it may backfire and leave the other party resenting you for changing the rules. This type of behaviour can be classified as avoidance, according to Barrosse, and â€Å"when you engage the other [party] in productive conversation, you will find that (1) your behaviour is being misinterpreted by the other and (2) your perception of the other is skewed† (2007, p.216). Changing the circumstances surrounding a conflict is really not a proactive form of moderation, since by engaging in clear conversation you can take control of the dispute and work towards a solution. The final resolution method – changing your own communication or perceptions – is truly the most successful tactic you can use. The fact is that â€Å"conflict parties may know that they want to engage but not know how to start† (Barrosse, 2007, p.217). Taking charge in these situations requires understanding and patience, which may be difficult for many people, but it is nevertheless necessary for successful conflict resolution. Many people struggle with restraint: this â€Å"includes the difficult task of holding back one’s desire to act on vengeful feelings† (Barrosse, 2007, p.221). In practise there is no successful way to incorporate such feelings into conflict moderation. It is important to remain focused on the issue at hand and lay out clear objectives for all parties involved. This way, no one is distracted or perhaps made more upset at the introduction of new conflict topics and extraneous information.   Remain calm, concentrate and listen to the opinions of all parties while trying to find a common solution. â€Å"Low productivity occurs when interpersonal conflicts are not identified or openly expressed to the other party† (Barrosse, 2007, p.214). Therefore it is best practise to approach conflict moderation from the perspective that teamwork prevails.   Finding a compromise is the most sound solution. Reference: Barrosse, E. (Ed). (2007). Interpersonal Conflict. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.    Moderating Conflict The current personal conflict that I am experiencing right now is regarding my parents and having a part-time job. I decided to have a part-time job so that I could somehow support myself while I’m studying, something which could give me a spare money during my free time. For me, I can manage to work and study at the same time because I’m a dedicated person when it comes to academic matters. When it comes to my examinations, I devote enough time to study so that I would get good marks. When it comes to projects and requirements, I make sure that I pass it before the deadline so that there won’t be any problems with my teachers. But the real problem is not with me, but with my parents. They are afraid that I might spend so much time with my part-time job and less time with my studies. They fear that as I go along with this part-time job, I would slowly loose interest with academic matters. They think that it could hinder me from pursuing my education, especially if I would start earning money. Both my mother and my father disagree, arguing that I would be better off if I just concentrated on my studies. I know they’re just concerned with my well-being, since they know how dedicated I am with my studies. The problem however, is that they don’t understand my reasons why I wanted the part-time job. I have many reasons why I wanted the part-time job. One would be the financial support that I could get from it. I wouldn’t have to rely to my parents for extra money when it comes to my personal expenses. It could also introduce me to an independent lifestyle, which I know would really come one way or another. Having this part-time job is not solely for the money, but also a good way to learn. It could be a very important experience for me, especially when it comes to my attitude towards work and my studies. Surely, it is important to prioritize my studies. However, it is also important to be introduced to the real world, wherein I’ll be able to learn how it is like to be handled by superiors, and develop a certain work attitude. The best way to moderate this conflict between me and my parents is through dialogue (Hamel, Doz, & Prahalad, 1989). The key for them to accept my decision regarding the part-time job is for them to understand my reasons. It is best if I would be able to explain to them my point. This could be done by looking for the right situation to talk to them, and it would be best if I could talk to them separately, so that they’ll understand without bothering about the opinion of the other. During the dialogue, I should be able to clearly explain why it is ok for me to have this part-time job (Pfeffer, 1999). The approach that I think would best be accepted by them is how important it is to my future. An experience such as this would greatly help me to have a grasp of what lies ahead after my studies. This is the point which I think would connect my parents and the part-time job. Both my parents are concerned about my future that’s why they are wary about the decisions I make and take. If they would be able to see how this part-time job could positively affect me and my future, then I am sure that they would approve of it. The key is for them to fully understand it (Pfeffer, 1999). Moderating conflict is a case-to-case basis. The resolution of the conflict is dependent on the situation being faced (Wilmot & Hocker, 2001). In this conflict which I have with my parents, the best approach is to have a dialogue with them and explain to the possible outcomes of the decisions I take. Through this, I would be able to show them that having a part-time job could help me build a future instead of clouding it. References: Hamel, G., Doz, Y. L., & Prahalad, C. K. (1989). Collaborate with your competitors – and win Harvard Business Review, Vol. 67(No.1). Pfeffer, J. S. (1999). The smart-talk trap. Harvard Business Review, Vol. 77(No.3,). Wilmot, W. W., & Hocker, J. L. (2001). Interpersonal Conflict (6th ed.). New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill.      

Complexometric Determination of Water Hardnesss Essay

Introduction/Background: This lab was about determining water hardness. Water hardness is the amount of metal ions in the water. The most common found ion in the water is calcium ions and typically with a charge of +2. Water hardness plays a big significance in our daily life because to many metal ions in our drinking water can have adverse effects on our body. You can measure the water hardness by EDTA titrations. EDTA is a disodium salt that stands for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and it is a chelating agent. Chelation is the process of a ligand forms a complex with a metal ion. Eriochrome Black T is an indicator you add to the water sample that will turn the water pink if metal ions exist. Through the process of titration, carefully adding EDTA to the water sample with the Eriochrome Black T will cause a chemical reaction to occur, slowly changing the water color from pink to violet and then violet to a light blue which will be the end of the chemical reaction. Once the titration is complete you can ca lculate your water hardness. Above in the formula V represents the actual delivered volume of Na2EDTA solution and M is your actual molarity. Procedures: Start by preparing 500mL of 0.004 disodium EDTA solution. This is what will be added to the buret. Next take a 250-mL Erlenmeyer flask and add 10.00mL of standardized calcium and 30mL of deionized water. Place a magnetic stir-bar in the flask and set on top of a piece of white paper on a magnetic stirrer. After place 3mL of ammonia/ammonium chloride buffer (pH10) inside the flask and let it stir for thirty seconds. Lastly add four drops of Eriochrome Black T indicator to the solution which will turn it a pink color. Begin titration and watch as the color changes from pink to violet and then violet to a light blue color. Record the data when the color turns a light blue and repeat the process two more times. Fill the buret with the same 500mL of 0.004 disodium EDTA solution. Take 25.00mL of an unknown water sample and add it to a 250mL Erlenmeyer flask. Mix in 20mL of deionized water. Set a magnetic stir-bar inside the solution and place on the magnetic stirrer. Next add 3mL of ammonia/ammonium chloride buffer (pH10). After thirty seconds of stirring add four drops of the Eriochrome Back T indicator and watch as the solution turns pink. Begin your titration by slowly adding small droplets of the 0.004 disodium EDTA solution. The color will slowly change to a violet color and then to a blue color which will be the stopping point. Record the data and repeat two more times. With the data collected calculates the hardness of each sample, then the average water hardness of all three samples, and lastly the precision of each trial. Compare your data to the expected range of a local cities water hardness. Results and Discussion: The first three titrations involved the known Calcium stock, titration 1 used 22.91ml of Na2EDTA solution before the titration complete. The second Titration used 21.91ml while the third and final used 21.55ml of solution. During the procedure a 250ml Erlenmeyer flask was used as well as a 50ml burette, the buret was filled with our Na2EDTA solution while the flask was filled with 30ml of DI water, 3ml of ammonia, and 4 drops of an indicator, in this case Eriochrome Black T. Experimental error was calculated by taking the sum of all absolute deviations/3 than divided by the mean concentration of Na2EDTA, in this case the mean concentration was .00452M, and lastly, multiplied by 1000 to get the answer in PPT. Table 1 below shows the readings of both solutions before and after titration. The mean concentration of these titrations is 0.00452, This figure was used to find the estimated precision which came out to 23.270% off of 100% meaning the experiment was 76.73% accurate. Finally the volume of the unknown was calculated to find the ppm for each titration and the mean of all three titrations was used to find the estimated precision of the unknown in ppm. The mean in ppm for the unknown came to 212ppm, this number was plugged into the equation for estimated precision which is the sum of all absolute value deviations/ number of trials, all of which is divide by the mean and multiplied by 1000ppt. The final figure came out to 25.2% off of 100% meaning that the experiment was 74.8% accurate. Conclusion: In conclusion the water hardness of a solution can be found by titrating a known solution containing metal ions and using a chelating agent such as EDTA to determine the impurities of each of the water samples. Also, using the data collected from each titration the concentration and mean can be found from each titration and used to determine the water hardness in ppm. The estimated precision of this experiment can be found by running multiple titrations on the same sample more than one time. The results obtained in this experiment include a mean concentration for the Calcium stock of .00452M, and an estimated precision of 76.73% and the average water hardness was 400.39ppm. The estimated precision for the unknown was 74.8% and an average water hardness of 204ppm. In this experiment 500ml of a known solution EDTA was prepared; a 10ml pipet was used to transfer a standard calcium ion stock solution into a 250ml Erlenmeyer flask. 30ml of DI water was added to the flask and the contents were than stirred using a magnetic stirrer and stirring rod. 3ml of Ammonia was added to the flask mixed for a few seconds underneath the fume hood and 4 drops of an indicator was added, in this case Eriochrome Black T. The contents of the flask were stirred for thirty seconds before titration began, as the titration progressed, the color changed from pink to violet and finally to a sky blue color indicating that the titration was complete. This process was completed with minor changes for the Unknown #141, 25ml of the unknown was placed in the flask and 20ml of Di water was used rather than 30ml, the rest of the titration however, used the same steps as above. Work Cited Klenck, Thomas. â€Å"How It Works: Water Softener.† Popular Mechanics 1 Aug. 1998: n. pag. Web. Our Lab instruction sheet