Although there are many ions in seawater, the overall charges of the dissolved cations and anions must maintain charge neutrality. Consider only the six most abundant ions in seawater, as listed in Table 18.5 (Cl⁻, Na⁺, SO₄²⁻, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and K⁺), calculate the total charge in Coulombs of the cations in 1.0 L of seawater. Calculate the total charge in Coulombs of the anions in 1.0 L of seawater. To how many significant figures are the two numbers equal?

Table 18.5

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TABLE 18.5 Ionic Constituents of Seawater Present in Concentrations Greater than 0.001 g/kg (1 ppm) Ionic Constituent Chloride, CI Sodium, Na+ Sulfate, SO Salinity 19.35 10.76 2.71 1.29 0.412 0.40 0.106 Magnesium, Mg2+ Calcium, Ca²+ Potassium, K+ Carbon dioxide* Bromide, Br 0.067 Boric acid, HBO3 0.027 Strontium, Sr²+ 0.0079 Fluoride, F- 0.0013 *CO₂ is present in seawater as HCO3 and CO². Concentration (M) 0.55 0.47 0.028 0.054 0.010 0.010 2.3 x 10-³ 8.3 × 10 + 4.3 × 10 + 9.1 x 10-5 7.0 x 10-5