What is one component that should be removed when making reagent grade water using an activated carbon filter?

When making reagent grade water, one critical component that should be removed is chlorine. Activated carbon filters are particularly effective at adsorbing chlorine and its byproducts from water, which is essential for preventing interference in sensitive chemical and biological analyses. Chlorine can react with various substances, potentially skewing results or damaging analytical instruments or samples.

While other components like organic compounds and microbial contaminants can also be removed using activated carbon, chlorine's volatile nature and reactivity with many compounds used in analytical chemistry make it a priority to ensure that reagent grade water is free from it. The focus on removing chlorine is primarily for preserving the integrity of the purified water, which is intended for precise scientific applications.

Removing metal ions typically requires a different filtration method, such as ion exchange, rather than just activated carbon filtration. Therefore, while many components are important to remove for reagent grade water, chlorine's specific reactivity and potential for contamination in analytical processes highlight its significance in this context.