In Clark's process for removing hardness of water, the reagent used is

Options

A. Acidic
B. Basic
C. Neutral
D. Both (1) & (2)

Answer

To solve the question regarding the reagent used in Clark's process for removing hardness of water, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Clark's Process**:
- Clark's process is specifically designed to remove temporary hardness from water. Temporary hardness is primarily due to the presence of bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium.

2. **Identifying the Hardness**:
- The main compounds responsible for temporary hardness are calcium bicarbonate (Ca(HCO₃)₂) and magnesium bicarbonate (Mg(HCO₃)₂).

3. **Reagent Used in Clark's Process**:
- In Clark's process, calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) is used as the reagent.

4. **Chemical Reaction**:
- When calcium hydroxide is added to water containing calcium bicarbonate, a chemical reaction occurs:
\[ \text{Ca(HCO}_3\text{)}_2 + \text{Ca(OH)}_2 \rightarrow 2\text{CaCO}_3 \downarrow + 2\text{H}_2\text{O} \]
- This reaction produces calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), which is insoluble in water and precipitates out, thus removing the hardness.

5. **Nature of the Reagent**:
- Calcium hydroxide is a base. When dissolved in water, it dissociates to produce hydroxide ions (OH⁻), confirming its basic nature.

6. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the reagent used in Clark's process for removing hardness of water is basic in nature.

### Final Answer:
The correct answer is **basic** (option 2).

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