Blue or Bluish Green Cu2+ or Ni2+ Green Ni2+ Light Green Fe2+ Light Pink Mn2+ Dark Brown Fe3+ Yellow Fe3+ or ferrous carbonate White All above mentioned cations are absent
Step 2: Smell the salt. Rub a little of the given salt between your fingers and smell.
Smell Inference Smell of vinegar CH3COO- Ammoniacal Smell NH4+ Smell like rotten eggs S-
Step 3: Flame test. Make a paste of salt with concentrated HCl and introduce small quantity into oxidising flame.
Colour of Flame Inference
Brick red Ca2+ Crimson red Sr2+ Light Green (appears after sometime) Ba2+ Bluish Green Cu2+
Step 4: Solubility test.
Original Solution Cold distilled water Hot distilled water Cold dilute HCl Hot dilute HCl Cold concentrated HCl Hot concentrated HCl Step 5 (If salt doesn’t dissolve in distilled water): Make sodium extract (S.E).
Steps to prepare sodium extract:
1. Add 1 portion of salt to beaker.
2. Add 3 portions of Na2CO3.
3. Add 10-15 ml of water
4. Boil the mixture for 5 minutes
5. Cool the mixture.
6. Filter the mixture.
7. Use residue for the experiment.
Step 6: Test for ammonia.
Test for Ammonia Inference
Boil the O.S and pass effervescence Nessler’s reagent turns orange. through nessler’s reagent. Heat a small quantity of salt with Ammoniacal smell. NaOH solution.
Step 7: Dilute H2SO4 test for anions. Add salt to dilute H2SO4 and heat and pass effervescence through
Lime Water Lime water turns milky CO32-
Lead acetate paper (gas Lead Acetate paper S2- evolved smells of rotten turns black eggs) Acidified Potassium Potassium dichromate SO32- dichromate paper paper turns green FeSO4 solution FeSO4 solution turns NO2- black
Anion Confirmatory Test Result
CO32- Shake salt with water and filter. (Soluble CO32-) • Filtrate + dil. HCl • CO2 with • Filtrate + MgSO4 effervescence • White precipitate. (Insoluble CO32-) Residue + dil. HCl CO2 with effervescence. S2- W.E or S.E + acetic acid Black precipitate (3 drops) + Lead acetate solution SO32- W.E or S.E + BaCl2 White precipitate solution formed which dissolves in excess in dil. HCl NO2- W.E + acetic acid (2 Dark red colour drops) + FeSO4
Step 8: Concentrated H2SO4 test for anions. Add salt to concentrated H2SO4 and pass effervescence through
AgNO3 solution White precipitate Cl-
formed in AgNO3 solution Starch paper Starch paper turns Br- yellow or orange Starch paper turns blue I- FeSO4 solution FeSO4 solution turns NO3- black If none of the above tests are positive test for SO42- and acetate
Anion Confirmatory Test Result
Cl- S.E + dil. HNO3. Boil and White precipitate add AgNO3 solution. soluble in NH4OH. Br- S.E + dil. HNO3. Boil and Pale yellow precipitate add AgNO3 solution. which is partially soluble in NH4OH. I- S.E + dil. HNO3. Boil and Yellow precipitate add AgNO3 solution. insoluble in NH4OH. NO3- Salt + conc. H2SO4 +Cu Reddish brown vapours. chips. Heat. W.E + FeSO4 + conc. Brown ring formed. H2SO4 by sides of test tube. CH3COO- W.E + neutral FeCl3 Blood red colour. solution SO42- W.E or S.E + dil. HCl + White precipitate BaCl2 solution formed which is insoluble in dil. HCl Step 9: Test for Cations. (Check confirmation table if a group precipitates)
Experiment Observation Inference
Group 1:To O.S add White precipitate if Pb2+, Ag+ dilute HCl. formed Group 2: Acidify O.S Black precipitate is Pb2+, Cu2+ with dilute HCl and pass formed H2S gas through it. Group 3: Boil of H2S • Reddish brown • Fe3+ gas completely and precipitate • Al3+ then add I gm of NH4Cl • White precipitate • Cr3+ and 0.5 cm3 of conc. • Green precipitate • Fe2+ HNO3. Boil and cool and • For Fe2+: O.S or then add NH4OH till it filtrate of group 2 + smells of ammonia. Potassium ferricyanide solution. Group 4: Pass H2S gas • White precipitate • Zn2+ through solution of • Black precipitate • Ni2+ group 3 • Flesh coloured • Mn2+ or precipitate O.S + NH4OH+ H2S gas Group 5: Take Filtrate White precipitate Ba2+, Sr2+ or Ca2+ of group 4. Boil of H2S and divide solution into three parts. Add NH4Cl, NH4OH and (NH4)2CO3. Filter. Group 6: To filtrate add White precipitate Mg2+ a pinch of NH4OH and excess of ammonium phosphate solution.
Confirmation Table:
Cation Confirmatory Test Result
Pb2+ Boil the white • Yellow precipitate precipitate with distilled • Yellow precipitate water and divide solution into two parts • To one part add KI solution • To second part add K2CrO4 solution Cu2+ Dissolve black • Deep blue solution precipitate in 50% • Chocolate brown HNO3. Bluish green precipitate. solution formed. • Add excess of NH4OH solution to bluish green solution. • Acidify bluish green solution with acetic acid and add potassium ferrocyanide solution. Fe3+ Dissolve brown • Prussion blue colour precipitate in dilute HCl or precipitate and divide into two • Blood red parts. colouration. • To first part add potassium ferrocyanide solution • To second part add potassium sulphocyanide solution. Fe2+ O.S + Potassium A blue colour or ferricyanide solution precipitate Al3+ White precipitate + dil. A blue precipitate HCl + few drops of blue suspended in a litmus solution + NH4OH colourless liquid solution in excess Zn2+ Dissolve part of white • Bluish white precipitate in dil. HCl. precipitate Divide solution into two • White precipitate parts. soluble in excess of • To one part add NaOH potassium ferrocyanide solution • To second part add NaOH solution Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ Dissolve white • Yellow precipitate precipitate in dil. Acetic confirms Ba2+. acid. Boil of CO2. • White precipitate • To one part K2Cr04 confirms Sr2+. solution. • White precipitate • To second part add confirms Ca2+. ammonium sulphate solution. • To third part add ammonium oxalate solution. Mg2+ Wash and suspend a Blue precipitate or part of white precipitate colouration. in water. Add a drop of HCl followed by a few drops of magneson reagent and excess of NaOH solution
