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CONFIRMATORY TESTS
4. THE COLOUR OF SALT OR AQUEOUS SALT SOLUTION
a. Most salts are white, and when dissolved in water, will form colourless
aqueous salt solution
COLOUR SOLID SOLUTION
White or colourless Salts of Na+, K+, NH4+, Mg2+, Solution of salts of Na+, K+,
Ca2+, Ba2+, Al3+, Pb2+, Zn2+ NH4+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Ba2+, Al3+,
(only if all the anions are Pb2+, Zn2+
colourless too)
Yellow PbO, PbI2, PbCrO4, BaCrO4 Solution of salts of Fe3+,
CrO42-, chromate
Blue Hydrated Cu salt
2+
Cu2+
CuSO4, Cu(NO3)2 , Cu(OH)2 CuSO4, Cu(NO3)2
Green CuCO3, CuCl2 Fe2+
FeSO4 , Fe(NO3)2 , FeCl2 , FeSO4 , Fe(NO3)2 , FeCl2 ,
Fe(OH)2 ,
Black CuO, CuS, FeO, FeS -
Brown Fe2(SO4)3 , Fe(NO3)3 , Fe3+, Cr2O72- dichromate
FeCl3 , Fe(OH)3 , (orange)
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Ba(OH)2
6. Test of gases
Name of gas Colour of Smell of Effect on damp Confirmatory test
gas gas litmus
Oxygen, O2 Colourless No smell No effect - Test the gas with a glowing wooden splinter.
- The gas Will RElight the glowing wooden
splinter
Hydrogen, H2 Colourless No smell No effect Test the gas with a lighted wooden splinter.
The gas will extinguish THE lighted wooden
splinter with a ‘pop’ sound
Carbon dioxide, Colourless No smell Moist blue Will turn limewater chalky
CO2 litmus change
to red (ACID)
Ammonia, NH3 Colourless Pungent Moist red When a glass rod dipped into concentrated HCl
smells like litmus change is placed near the mouth of the test tube with
urine to blue ammonia, white fumes are formed (NH4Cl)
(ALKALI)
Hydrogen Colourless Pungent Moist blue When a glass rod dipped into concentrated
Chloride, HCl litmus change ammonia is placed near the mouth of the test
to red (ACID) tube with HCl, white fumes are formed (NH4Cl)
Sulphur dioxide, Colourless Pungent Moist blue Will decolourises the purple colour of acidified
SO2 litmus change potassium manganate (VII)
to red (ACID) Or
Will change the colour of acidified potassium
dichromate (VI) solution from orange to green
Name of gas Colour of Smell of Effect on Confirmatory test
gas gas damp litmus
Nitrogen dioxide, Brown Pungent Moist blue
NO2 litmus change NO, ALREADY CONFIRMED BY ITS COLOUR
to red (ACID)
Chlorine, Cl2 Yellowish Choking Decolourises
green moist red or
blue litmus
NO, ALREADY CONFIRMED BY ITS COLOUR
Bleaching
effect
(ACIDIC)
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Magnesium carbonate MgCO3 (s) → MgO (s) + CO2
Zinc carbonate ZnCO3 (s) → ZnO (s) + CO2
Iron (III) carbonate Fe2(CO3)3 (s) → Fe2O3 (s) + 3CO2
Lead (II) carbonate PbCO3 (s) → PbO (s) + CO2
Copper (II) carbonate CuCO3 (s) → CuO (s) + CO2
Decomposes to CO2, NH3 & water vapour without any residue
(NH4)2CO3(s) → 2NH3(g) + H2O(g) + CO2(g)
Ammonium carbonate
H2O can change dry blue cobalt chloride paper to pink
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NO2 & O2 Nitrate ion, NO3- (except NaNO3, NH4NO3 & KNO3)
SO2 Sulphate ion, SO42- (only zinc, iron, copper)
NH3 Ammonium ion, NH4+
9. Most salts that decomposes produced METAL OXIDES as residue. The change
of colour during heating gives a good indication towards the types of metal oxide
formed.
Original colour Colour of residue after heating Metal oxide Cations present in
of salt produced salt
White Yellow when hot, white when cold ZnO Zn2+
White Brown when hot, yellow when cold PbO Pb2+
Blue / green Black CuO Cu2+
Green / brown Black Fe2O3 Fe3+ / Fe2+
Reagent HCl (aq) HNO3 (aq) HNO3 (aq) & Pb(NO3) (aq) Other test
/ or followed Ba(NO3)2
HNO3 (aq) by AgNO3 or
Anion (aq) HCl (aq) &
BaCl2 (aq)
Gas evolved
White precipitate
CO32- turns lime - - -
soluble in acid
water milky
Salt solution +
dilute H2SO4 +
NO3- - - - - freshly made FeSO4 +
concentrated H2SO4 :
Brown ring is formed
White White precipitate
SO42- - -
precipitate soluble in acid
(i) Heat solid salt +
concentrated H2SO4 :
White precipitate HCl gas is produced
White
Cl- - - soluble in acid or (ii) Heat solid salt + MnO2
precipitate
when heated + concentrated
H2SO4 : Cl2 gas is
produced
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c. The aqueous solution is then tested with
i. NaOH
ii. NH3 (aq)
iii. A specific reagent as a confirmatory test
iv. NaOH & NH3 will supply OH- to produce metal hydroxides
Cation A little NaOH (aq) Excess NaOH (aq) A little NH3(aq) Excess NH3(aq)
NH4+ No precipitate No precipitate No precipitate No precipitate
formed, formed, formed formed
NH3 gas evolved NH3 gas evolved
when heated when heated
Pb2+ White precipitate White precipitate White White
soluble in excess precipitate precipitate
NaOH insoluble in
excess NH3
Zn2+ White precipitate White precipitate White White
soluble in excess precipitate precipitate
NaOH soluble in excess
NH3
Al3+ White precipitate White precipitate White White
soluble in excess precipitate precipitate
NaOH insoluble in
excess NH3
Cation A little NaOH (aq) Excess NaOH (aq) A little NH3(aq) Excess NH3(aq)
Mg2+ White precipitate White precipitate White White
insoluble in excess precipitate precipitate
NaOH insoluble in
excess NH3
Ca2+ White precipitate White precipitate No precipitate No precipitate
insoluble in excess formed formed
NaOH
Cation A little NaOH (aq) Excess NaOH (aq) A little NH3(aq) Excess NH3(aq)
Cu2+ Blue precipitate Blue precipitate Blue precipitate Blue precipitate
insoluble in excess soluble in excess
NaOH NH3 to form
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DARK BLUE
solution
Fe2+ Dirty green Dirty green Dirty green Dirty green
precipitate precipitate insoluble precipitate precipitate
in excess NaOH insoluble in
excess NH3
Fe3+ Brown precipitate Brown precipitate Brown Brown
insoluble in excess precipitate precipitate
NaOH insoluble in
excess NH3
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14. CONFIRMATORY TESTS FOR Pb2+, NH4+, Fe2+, Fe3+ IONS
TO DESCRIBE A TEST
- u must write
i. name of the test (if any)
ii. “mini” procedure of the test
iii. Observable result
- brown ring test
- Add dilute sulphuric acid to salt P solution
- Add freshly made Iron (II) sulphate solution
- Slowly add concentrated Sulphuric acid to the solution
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- A brown ring can be seen