Environmental Significance
The amount and nature of dissolved and undissolved matter present in liquid vary greatly. In potable waters most of the matter is in dissolved form and consists mainly of inorganic salts and small amount of organic matter.
The amount of undissolved colloidal and suspended matter increases with
pollution. Sludge represent extreme cases of pollution, in which most of the solid matter is undissolved.
One of the major advantages of performing solid determination in domestic
wastes, industrial waste and sludge samples is to obtain a measure of amount of organic matter present.
Procedure
Pipette out 100 ml well mixed sample into clean dry previously weighted weighting dish and evaporate to dryness at 105oc till the constant weight is achieved. Transfer the dish to the deciccator and weigh as soon as room temperature is reached.
Calculation
W = Weight in g of residue obtained.
V = Volume in ml of the sample taken
Glass of water showing dissolved ions and undissolved particles labeled as dissolved solids, undissolved matter, and water molecules.