Water Chemistry: Principles, Analysis, and Environmental Applications

This comprehensive edited volume explores the multifaceted aspects of water chemistry, providing a foundation for understanding the chemical properties, composition, and behavior of water in natural and engineered systems. The book integrates theoretical knowledge with practical applications, offering insights into the fundamental chemistry that governs aquatic environments and water quality.

Beginning with core concepts of stoichiometry and chemical equilibrium, the text builds a systematic framework for analyzing water chemistry in diverse contexts. Readers are guided through essential analytical techniques, including potentiometry, conductometry, spectrophotometry, and chromatography, with emphasis on their applications in water quality assessment. The volume delves into the chemistry of freshwater systems, examining solubility principles, redox processes, and the critical carbonate-bicarbonate buffer system that maintains pH stability in natural waters.

A significant portion of the book is dedicated to nutrient and energy dynamics, exploring the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, mechanisms of nutrient transport, and factors influencing organic matter decomposition. These processes are fundamental to understanding eutrophication, water quality management, and ecosystem health.

The practical component provides detailed protocols for standardizing reagents, measuring suspended solids, determining transparency, estimating salinity, and analyzing dissolved gases—essential skills for water quality monitoring and environmental assessment. Special attention is given to quality control procedures and data interpretation, enabling researchers and practitioners to generate reliable results.

This volume serves as an invaluable resource for environmental scientists, water resource managers, engineers, and students seeking to understand the complex chemistry underlying water quality and its implications for both natural ecosystems and human health. By bridging theoretical principles with analytical techniques and environmental applications, it equips readers with the knowledge and skills necessary to address contemporary water quality challenges.