Explain this please (carbon)

[Kayak_Guy]

How come the salt in the water dosen't get sucked up by the carbon?

 

[Entropy]

My guess is it has something to do with electrons and stable relationships. The salt is happy in the water, while impuraties are unstable (not happy). Mean while the carbon mixes with the unstable stuff to make it happy (trapped) but has a hard time convincing the salt to leave the water.

Where is a chemist when you need one?!?!?!

 

[szwab]

Carbon is used to remove VOC's - volatile organic compounds, including chlorine

I believe that is why the salt is not effected and removed.
But I'm not a chemist:lol:

 

[Kayak_Guy]

lol, I was explaining carbon in freash water to my wife, and then she asked "well that's fine in fresh, but if you hook up the carbon thing (reactor) won't the salt get sucked up?"

And I didn't know the answer!

 

[Kayak_Guy]

no one?

 

[szwab]

salt is not a volitile organic compound thus not effected by carbon

 

[magdelan]

what is carbon made from? (other than the base of all that everything is made from). Is it like Charcoal?? If so, couldn't one use charcoal in the same fashion that carbon is used?

 

[szwab]

you could use charcoal but it's not effective or as pure and could potentially leach phospahates and other unwanteds into the water.

 

[GV7486]

Salt isn't carbon based...which is why it doesn't get absorbed by the activated carbon which reacts chemically with organic compounds (carbon based 'stuff').

Charcoal is carbon but I suppose the difference would be whether or not it has been "activated" with Oxygen or some other form.

The reason you run the risk of leeching phosphates into your tank would be because of the activation process of carbon. Although oxygen would be the optimal way of activating carbon, there are several companies who use a phosphoric acid wash to accomplish this.

Don't quote me on anything I've said though...I'm still not a chemist.

 

[drummereef]

GV7486,

[welcome]