Chem Quiz #2: Stump Remover

[Miami Reef]

Chem Quiz #2: Stump Remover


Part 1: Stump remover is not optimal for making large boosts to nitrate because it also contains which of the following:

A) Calcium
B) Potassium
C) Sodium
D) Magnesium
E) Lithium


Part 2: When boosting nitrate by 50 ppm, about how many ppm will the other compound increase by?

A) 13.5 ppm
B) 26.8 ppm
C) 31.5 ppm
D) 41.9 ppm


Good luck

 

[GSPClown94]

Potassium sounds right, but to answer the second part wouldn't we need to know the ratios of stump remover ingredients?

 

[Miami Reef]

Assume the product is pure.

 

[Miami Reef]

Let’s see if we can get more answers here.

 

[rtparty]

It’s potassium 100%. KNO3 is the chemical IIRC

There is a trick question in the second answer. 2 options are labeled B. So I do take the 50% odds and just say B?

I believe it’s the 41.9 answer though since my quick (but likely wrong) math had it around 40ppm

If 1ppm nitrogen is equal to ~4.4ppm nitrate and KNO3 is 13% nitrogen to 44% potassium then it’s roughly 38-40ppm potassium to 50ppm nitrate

I may have bad info though from a quick search

Edit - I won’t change my original answer since it could be a great example of why AI can suck for reefing but my original gut instinct was answer A

 

[Miami Reef]

There is a trick question in the second answer. 2 options are labeled B. So I do take the 50% odds and just say B?

Just got it fixed. lol

Thanks for catching it!

 

[Miami Reef]

Anyone else before I give the answers?

 

[Garf]

Anyone else before I give the answers?

I expect the answer is, it's complicated.

 

[Miami Reef]

Answer time.

Like @GSPClown94 and @rtparty said, stump remover is potassium nitrate (KNO₃). It is in a 1:1 mole ratio.

Potassium has 39.1 g/mol
Nitrate has 62 g/mol

Divide potassium by nitrate to find the mass ratio for how much K is added per NO₃: 39.1/62=0.631

So that means the mass ratio of K to NO₃ in KNO₃ is 0.63, so for every 1 ppm increase in NO₃, potassium rises by 0.63 ppm.



So a 50 ppm increase of nitrate gives an increase of 50*0.63=31.5 ppm increase in potassium.