What is a Sulfuric Acid Reagent for pools?
A sulfuric acid reagent is often found in test kits designed to test water pH, usually contained in small liquid bottles. Sulfuric acid as a liquid is completely soluble in water, colorless to yellowish in color, has no smell, and has an oily texture. Due to its strong acidic composition, it actively corrodes metals, can quickly damage skin and flesh. Eye protection should always be used when handling a sulfuric acid reagent, as permanent damage to eyes can occur upon contact with sulfuric acid.
[sc:ad_middle]As a pH-reducing agent, a sulfuric acid regent is used during an acid demand test to determine how much acid to add to a swimming pool to bring down the pH to a balanced level. It is also used in testing total alkalinity by titration, where the sulfuric acid reagent is added drop-by-drop after adding a sodium thiosulfate to neutralize chlorine, and adding a total alkalinity indicator to turn the water sample green. The number of sulfuric acid reagent drops added to the mixture to turn the sample from green to red can be used to determine the amount of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to add to the swimming pool water.
Sources: