XII STD - Systematic analysis of a simple salt

General Procedure
Experiment Observation Inference

! colour of the Blue / Green! May be copper salt

1. salt! Brown May be an iron salt!
colourless! Absence of copper and iron salts
Action of heat: A colourless, odourless gas turning lime water milky Presence of carbonate is
2. A small amount of a salt evolves confirmed!
is strongly heated in a
A colourless gas with the pungent small turning red
test tube
litmus paper into blue evolves. It gives a dense Presence of an ammonium !
white fumes when a glass rod dipped in Conc. HCl
is brought close to its mouth!
A reddish brown gas evolves Presence of a nitrate

Salt is yellow when hot and white

May be a zinc
when cold

Absence of carbonate,
No characteristic change
Ammonium, Nitrate, and Zinc
Flame test:
3. Take a small amount of salt in a watch Bluish green flame presence of a copper
glass. Add a drop of Conc. HCl to it and
form a paste. Take the paste at the Apple green Presence of a barium
charred end of the splinter and introduce
it near the Bunsen flame Brick red Presence of a calcium

No characteristic flame Absence of Copper,

Barium and calcium
Action of dil. NaOH solution: Salt
A colourless gas with the pungent smell
4. + dil. NaOH + Heat! Presence of ammonium
giving dense white fumes with a glass rod
dipped in dil. HCl evolves

No pungent smelling gas Absence of ammonium

Action of dil. HCl: Salt
5. + dil. HCl! A colourless, odourless gas turning lime Presence of carbonate is
water milky evolves confirmed!!
A colourless gas with a rotten egg smell
Presence of sulphide is
turning a paper dipped in lead acetate
confirmed!
shining black evolves!
Absence of Carbonate &
No characteristic change! Sulphide
copper turning test : A reddish brown gas evolves
Presence of nitrate.
6. Salt + Copper turnings + Conc. H2SO4
+ Heat
No reddish brown gas ! Absence of Nitrate!
 A greenish yellow gas turning starch iodide
7. Presence of chloride!!
paper blue evolves!
Action of MnO2 and Conc. H2SO4 :
A reddish brown gas turning moist
Salt + MnO2 + Conc. H2SO4 + Heat fluorescein paper red evolves Presence of bromide

Absence of Chloride,
No characteristic change.! Bromide!
!
Chromyl chloride test:
8. salt + potassium dichromate + Conc. A red orange vapours Presence of Chloride is
H2SO4.+ Heat evolved. Pass the vapours to lead acetate confirmed.
solution yellow ppt is formed
No red orange vapours evolved! Absence of Chloride!

!
Preparation of sodium carbonate extract:
1g salt + 3g solid sodium carbonate + 20g of distilled water to it. After boiling the solution for few mins,
filter and collect the filtrate. The filtrate is called sodium carbonate extract.

1. Test for Silver nitrate : sodium carbonate

extract + dil. HNO3 (until the effervescence A curdy white precipi- Presence of chloride
ceases) + AgNO3. tate(ppt) insoluble
in about 1mL of dil.
ammonia is formed

A pale yellow ppt

sparingly soluble in ammonia Presence of bromide is
is formed confirmed

A black ppt is formed Presence of sulphide

No characteristic precipitate Absence of Chloride,

Bromide and Sulphide!
2. Test with barium chloride: ! !
sodium carbonate extract + dil. HCl (until A white ppt is formed insoluble in Presence of sulphate is
the effervescence ceases) + barium chloride
dil HCl! confirmed!!
solution !
No characteristic change.! Absence of Sulphate!
3. Brown ring test:
sodium carbonate extract + dil. H2SO4 (until A brown ring is formed Presence of nitrate is
the effervescence ceases) + freshly prepared confirmed
ferrous sulphate solution. Then keeping the test
tube in a slanting position add Conc. H2SO4 No brown ring is formed ! Absence of Nitrate !
along the sides of the test tube.

4. Ammonium molybdate test:

A canary yellow ppt is formed. Presence of phosphate is
sodium carbonate extract + dil HNO3
confirmed
(until the effervescence ceases) + ammonium
molybdate + Conc. HNO3 No canary yellow precipitate ! Absence of phosphate!
 Analysis of cations
Preparation of original solution
Salt! + Distilled Water!!!!!!!!!!!Original solution !!!!!!!![ may be
sulphide (or)!carbonate salt ] !
Salt + Dil.HNO3!!!!!!!!!!!!Original solution
Group Separation

1. Original Solution + NaOH + Nessler’s Chocolate brown precipitate is Presence of Ammonium is

reagent formed. confirmed
No Chocolate brown precipitate Absence of Ammonia
2. White precipitate is formed. Presence of I group Lead
Original Solution + dil. HCl
No White precipitate Absence of I group Lead
3. Black precipitate is formed. Presence of II group Copper
Original Solution + dil. HCl + H2S gas
No Black precipitate Absence of II group Copper
Presence of III group
4. White precipitate is formed. Aluminium or Ferric iron.
Original Solution + NH4Cl + NH4OH
No White precipitate absence of III group Al, Fe
5. Original Solution + NH4Cl + NH4OH + Dirty white precipitate is formed. Presence of IV group Zinc
H2S gas
No dirty white precipitate Absence of IV group Zinc
6. Original Solution + NH4Cl + NH4OH Presence of V group
White precipitate is formed.
+ (NH4)2CO3 Barium or Calcium
No White precipitate Absence of V group Ba or Ca
7. Original solution + NH4Cl + NH4OH + Presence of VI group
disodium hydrogen phosphate White precipitate is formed. Magnesium
Absence of VI group
No White precipitate
Magnesium

Confirmatory Test For Basic Radicals

Ammonium (Zero Group )
Original Solution + NaOH + Nessler’s reagent Chocolate brown precipitate is Presence of Ammonium is
formed. confirmed
Lead (Group I)
Presence of Lead is
Original solution + KI solution Yellow precipitate is formed.
confirmed
Copper (Group II)
Original solution + potassium ferrocyanide Red brown precipitate is formed. Presence of Copper is
confirmed
Aluminium (Group III)
Original solution + sodium peroxide + dil HCl Gelatinous white precipitate is Presence of Aluminium is
formed. confirmed
Ferric Iron (Group III)
Original solution + sodium peroxide + dil HCl + Presence of Ferric iron is
Blue precipitate is formed.
potassium ferrocyanide confirmed

Zinc (Group IV)

Presence of Zinc is
Original solution + potassium ferro cyanide White precipitate is formed.
confirmed
Barium (Group V)
Presence of Barium is
Original solution + potassium chromate Yellow precipitate is formed.
confirmed
Calcium (Group V)
Presence of Calcium is
Original solution+NH4OH + Ammonium oxalate White precipitate is formed.
confirmed
Magnesium (Group VI)
Blue precipitate is formed. Presence of Magnesium is
Original solution + NaOH + Magneson reagent
confirmed

RESULT:
1. The given simple salt contains Acid radical :
Basic radical :
2. The given simple salt :