Nitrate test to 2.5 micrograms and a concentration of 1 in 25,000 parts. Devarda's alloy (Copper/Aluminium/Zinc) is a reducing agent. When reacted with nitrate in sodium hydroxide solution, ammonia is liberated. The ammonia formed may be detected by its characteristic odor, and by damp red litmus paper's turning blue, signalling that it is an alkali — very few gases other than ammonia evolved from wet chemistry are alkaline. Aluminium is the reducing agent in this reaction that will occur. Diphenylamine may be used as a wet chemical test for the presence of the nitrate ion. In this test, a solution of diphenylamine
Alkalinity given in the unit mEq/L (milliequivalent per liter). Commercially, as in the swimming pool industry, alkalinity might also be given in parts per million of equivalent calcium carbonate (ppm CaCO). Alkalinity is sometimes incorrectly used interchangeably with basicity. For example, the addition of CO lowers the pH of a solution. This increase reduces the basicity; however, the alkalinity remains unchanged (see example below).For total alkalinity testing, N/10 HSO is used by hydrologists along with phenolphthalein indicator. In typical groundwater or seawater, the measured alkalinity is set equal to: Alkalinity can be measured by titrating a sample with a strong acid