Answer:
- Zeolites are any member of the hydrated aluminosilicate mineral family that contains alkali and alkaline-earth metals.
- Permutit is also known as synthetic zeolite or man-made zeolite.
- Zeolite is expressed as Na2.Al2O3.nSiO2.xH2O in its chemical formula.
- When water travels through the permutit, the ions in the compound exchange.
- This means that the sodium and aluminium ions in the permutit replace the calcium and magnesium ions in hard water.
- The reaction that follows occurs.
Na2.Al2O3.nSiO2.xH2O + Ca2+or Mg2+CaAl2Si2O8.xH2O + Na+
As a result, the permutit or zeolite formula employed as a softener in the ion-exchange technique is Na2.Al2O3.nSiO2.xH2O.