1.

0 INTRODUCTION
Salt is a substance that is produced by reacting acid and base. The by product is water, H2O. The reaction that happens between an acid and base is neutralization but salt is a neutral product that has no acidic or basic properties. It is an ionic compound that consists of anions (positively charged ions) and cations (negatively charged ions) from the acid and base. The salt that is used widely is common salt, Sodium Chloride (NaCl) which is the salt that is used at home for increasing taste and preserving food. Other examples of salts are Potassium Chloride, KCl, Lead Nitrate, Pb(NO3)2, Lead Carbonate, PbCO3, Potassium Nitrate, KNO3, Potassium Carbonate, K2CO3 and Sodium Sulphate, Na2SO4. Acid is a substance that ionizes in water to form positively charged anion which is Hydrogen ions, H+. Examples of acids are Hydrochloric acid, HCl, Nitric Acid, HNO3, Sulphuric Acid, H2SO4, Etanoic acid, CH3COOH and Carbonic acid, H2CO3. Meanwhile, base is a substance that can react with acids to form salt. Bases that can dissolve in water to form hydroxide ions, OHis known as alkali. Bases are substance that consists of a metal ion and cation such as hydroxide and oxide. Examples of bases are sodium hydroxide, NaOH, potassium oxide, K2O, Ammonia, NH3, and Magnesium Hydroxide, Mg(OH)2. During a neutralization process, the anion of the acid which is Hydrogen ions, H+ will be replaced by the anion (any metal ions) from the base. The resulting product will be salt and water. An example of the reacting is neutralization process between Hydrochloric acid, HCl and sodium hydroxide, NaOH. The Hydrogen ions, H+ from the HCl will be replaced by the Na+ ions from NaOH. Thus, the salt that is formed is NaCl and the H+ from the HCl will combine with OHions to form water, H2O. The equation for the reaction is as follows : HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) H2O (l) + NaCl (aq) Salts that are formed are neutral, be in various colours and taste, usually odorless and is in clear and crystalline solid. Salts that can dissolve in water are called soluble salts meanwhile salts that cannot dissolve in water are insoluble salts. Examples of soluble salts are all Sodium, Potassium and Nitrate salts such as NaCl, K2CO3, Mg(NO3)2, and KNO3. A few examples of insoluble salts are PbCl2, BaSO4, PbCO3, AgCl, ZnCO3.

2.0 ANALYSIS
Qualitative analysis can be done to the salts to determine its constituent elements. This analysis is a method of analytical chemistry to ascertain the elemental composition of compounds using various reagents to test reactions characteristic of certain ions, which can give effect on color change, solid forming and other visible changes. To determine which substance is given from the four substances, several analyses should be done on each of the substance to differentiate them and determine the correct one. First of all, qualitative analysis that can be done is determining the colour of the given substance by observing. Below is the table that shows the colour of each of the possible substance. Colour Nu 1 2 3 4 Substance Solid Lead Nitrate Potassium Nitrate Potassium Carbonate Lead Carbonate white white white white Solution Colourless Colourless Colourless Colourless

Since there are not much of differences in the colour of the given possible substance, then the colour test cant determine which substance it really is. Thus, appropriate test must be done to identify the ions that are present in the substance given. From the four possible substances, Lead Nitrate, Pb(NO3)2, Potassium Nitrate, KNO3 and Potassium Carbonate, K2CO3 are soluble salts whereas Lead Carbonate, PbCO3 is an insoluble salt. To test whether the substance is Lead Carbonate, since it is an insoluble salt out of the four substances it could be, we can first take 2g of the substance and dissolve it in water in a test tube. If the salt dissolves in water, then it is not Lead Carbonate. Anyhow, if it is not soluble in water, then it is Lead Carbonate. We can conclude that if the salt given is insoluble in water, then it should be Lead Carbonate. Normally, the common test that is done to determine the presence of certain ions are by adding aqueous ammonia solution or sodium hydroxide solution. Firstly, the effects on sodium hydroxide solution are observed. 2 g of the salt given is added into a test tube and the 2cm3 of sodium hydroxide solution is added into the same test tube. The changes that occur are observed. Then, excess sodium hydroxide solution is added until if there is any changes that transpire.

If the salt dissolves in 2cm3 of sodium hydroxide solution, then it is either potassium nitrate or potassium carbonate salt. This is because the compound that results in the reaction is potassium hydroxide which is soluble. The chemical equation is given below: NaOH + KNO3 NaNO3 + KOH 2NaOH + K2CO3 Na2CO3 + 2KOH From the equation, we can see that the resulting products are all soluble and are in aqueous solution form. To furthermore differentiate between the two possible salts, the original given salt (not the one that has been added with sodium hydroxide solution) can be heated and the gas produced can be tested. The equation for the heating is as follows: 2 KNO3 K2CO3
heat heat

2 KNO2 + O2 no reaction

(for Potassium Nitrate) (for Potassium Carbonate)

Thus, if there is effervescence or bubbles formed when heated, and then we can be sure that the salt given is Potassium nitrate, but if nothing happens even after heating up for a long time, then it is Potassium carbonate. Even though potassium carbonate has the carbonate ions that will produce carbon dioxide, but the heating of potassium carbonate does not produce carbon dioxide gas since potassium carbonate is very difficult to be decomposed. The gas that is released from the heating can be captured into a test tube and a glowing wooden splinter is inserted. If the wooden splinter gets fire and burns, then oxygen gas is present and certifies that the salt is potassium nitrate and not potassium carbonate.

In contrast, if at first the salt given does not dissolve in sodium hydroxide solution and forms white precipitate, then it should be either Lead nitrate or lead carbonate. This is because the product of the reaction is Lead hydroxide, an insoluble salt. The reaction and a diagram of the precipitate formed are as follows: 2NaOH + Pb(NO3)2 2NaNO3 + Pb(OH) 2 2NaOH + PbCO3 Na2CO3 + Pb(OH) 2

Then, when excess sodium hydroxide solution is added, and the precipitate dissolves, we can confirm that the salt is a Lead salt. The Lead hydroxide formed from the earlier reaction will be changed into a much more complex ion that is soluble. Pb(OH)2(s) + 2OH-(aq) <==> [Pb(OH)4]2-(aq)

To furthermore determine whether it is Lead Carbonate or Lead nitrate we can heat the original salt on fire and test the gas that is released with lime water. The decomposition by heating experiment is done as follows:

PROCEDURE

1. A large spatula of the salt to be tested is put in a test tube. 2. A delivery tube is fitted and then the test tube is clamped so that the delivery tube will go into another test tube containing about 2-3 cm3 limewater. 3. The solid is gently heated at first and then more strongly. 4. All changes are observed carefully.

OBSERVATION

The lime water is used to test the presence of Carbon dioxide gas. If there is carbon dioxide, then the lime water will turn chalky (the production of calcium carbonate). The equation for the reaction of lime water and carbon dioxide is : Ca(OH)2 + CO2 CaCO3 + H2O When the salt given is heated and there are changes in the lime water, then the salt can only be lead carbonate. If Lead Nitrate, Pb(NO3)2 is heated, there will be no carbon dioxide gas produced. The equation for Lead Carbonate heating is as follows: PbCO3
heat

PbO + CO2

The gas that is produced is carbon dioxide, thus the lime water will turn chalky concluding that the substance must be Lead Carbonate. If there are no changes in the lime water, then it is not Lead carbonate but Lead nitrate. Lead nitrate wont give out carbon dioxide but it will produce nitrogen dioxide gas and oxygen gas. The equation for heating of the nitrate is : 2 Pb(NO3)2
heat

2 PbO + 4NO2

+ O2

If the substance that was tested dissolves in aqueous sodium hydroxide and does not make lime water turn chalky, we can check on the colour of gas that passes through the delivery tube. If there is indication of brown coloured vapour or gas, then it is confirmed to be lead nitrate. This is because nitrogen dioxide gas that is produced is brown in colour.

The chart below shows the summary of reactions to determine the correct salt.
Add Sodium Hydroxide

Dissolve

Does not dissolve

Potassium Nitrate

Potassium Carbonate

Lead Nitrate

Lead Carbonate

Heated Colourless gas That burns glowing Wooden splinter

Potassium Nitrate

Heated No changes happens Brown vapour formed

Lead Nitrate

Colourless gas that turns lime water chalky

Lead Carbonate

Potassium Carbonate

Other tests that can be done to determine which substance it is are summarized in the table given below :

TESTS
Add dilute hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid into the salt solution Add aqueous sodium hydroxide, then aluminium foil; warm mixture Add aqueous ammonia solution Add iron(II) sulphate to salt solution, then slowly add concentrated sulfuric acid Add Nessler Reagent

OBSERVATION
Effervescence occurs. Gas produced turns lime water chalky A very strong smelled gas released. No precipitate formed (dissolves completely) White precipitate (does not dissolve in excess ammonia) A brown ring will form around the tube at the junction of the two layers A brown precipitate forms

PRODUCTS

CONCLUSION

Indicates the presence of Carbon carbonate, CO32- ions dioxide gas 1- lead carbonate 2- potassium carbonate Indicates the presence of nitrate, NO3- ions Ammonia gas 1- lead Nitrate 2- potassium Nitrate 1- potassium carbonate 2- potassium Nitrate 1- lead Nitrate 2- lead carbonate Indicates the presence of nitrate, NO3- ions 1- lead Nitrate 2- potassium Nitrate Indicates presence of Potassium ions, K+ 1- potassium carbonate 2- potassium Nitrate Indicates presence of Lead ions, Pb2+ 1- lead Nitrate 2- lead carbonate Indicates presence of Lead ions, Pb2+ 1- lead Nitrate 2- lead carbonate Indicates presence of Lead ions, Pb2+ 1- lead Nitrate 2- lead carbonate

Fe(NO) ions

2+

Add Potassium Iodide Solution

A yellow precipitate forms A brown solid when hot and yellow when it is cold formed A white precipitate is formed

Lead Iodide

Heating reaction

Lead Oxide

Add Hydrochloric acid Solution

Lead Chloride

3.0 PREPARATION OF LEAD CARBONATE

There are two types of salts that can be prepared which is Insoluble salts and the other ones are soluble. Salts can be prepared in many ways but first we have to determine the solubility of the salts. There are three main ways in salt preparation. 1. Neutralization of acid base (Titration) 2. Reactions between acids and excess a. insoluble metal b. insoluble metal hydroxide c. insoluble metal carbonate d. insoluble metal oxide 3. Precipitation reactions

If a salt can dissolve in water, then we can use either the neutralization process or the reactions of acid with metal. When a salt is insoluble, then the precipitation reaction is used. Neutralization process is done by titration of acid and base to produce only potassium and sodium salts. The titration process involves the addition of acid into alkali solution until the end point which can be determined by using indicators such as phenolphthalein, methyl orange and universal indicator. This is because both this salts are always soluble. The other metals that are soluble can be prepared by using the second method. A solid is added in excess into an acid that is being heated until the metal no longer dissolves. The solution that is formed from both of this reaction should then undergo crystallization process to get the salt crystals. The process involves heating, cooling, filtering, wash and dry. Meanwhile, for the insoluble salt, there is only one way to be prepared which is the precipitation method. To prepare the insoluble salt Lead Carbonate we first need two soluble salts that contain the ions for lead carbonate which is the Lead (II) ion, Pb2+ and carbonate ion, CO32-. When the two salts are mixed together, the lead carbonate precipitate will be formed with another salt solution. Precipitate is the solid formed during a chemical reaction. From there, we can get the salts crystals by filtering, wash and dry processes only since there is no need for crystallization as the salt is already precipitated earlier. Below are the detailed experimental procedures for the reaction.

Apparatus & Materials Apparatus Beakers Filter funnel Filter paper Glass rod Petri dish Dropper Materials Lead Nitrate Sodium Carbonate Distilled water

Diagram

PREPARATION OF LEAD CARBONATE PRECIPITATE

Procedure

1. 50 cm3 0.5moldm-3 of Lead Nitrate solution is added into a beaker. 2. Sodium Carbonate, 0.5moldm-3 is added into another beaker. 3. The Sodium carbonate is poured into the lead nitrate solution while stirring. Keep adding until no more precipitate forms to indicate the end of reaction. 4. The precipitate is filtered out and using filters funnel and paper. The filtrate is not needed and the precipitate which is the residue at the filter paper is desired. 5. The residue at the funnel is washed with distilled water several times to remove any impurities. 6. The precipitate is then removed from the funnel and placed on another dry filter paper very carefully. It is left to dry in room temperature or heated in oven to get the pure salt sample.

Analysis 1. When Sodium Carbonate solution, Na2CO3 is added into Lead Nitrate solution, Pb(NO3)2 a precipitate is formed. The precipitate is Lead Carbonate, PbCO3. Sodium carbonate + Lead Nitrate Lead Carbonate + Sodium Nitrate 2. The chemical equation is as follows : Na2CO3 (aq) + Pb(NO3)2 (aq) PbCO3(s) + 2 NaNO3 (aq)

3. All the reagents contain freely moving ions except for Lead carbonate since it is insoluble. Thus, the ionic equation is given as : 2Na+ + CO32- + Pb2+ + 2NO3 PbCO3(s) + 2Na+ + 2 NO34. If we notice the above equation, the Na+ and NO3- ions are not changed at all from the reactants to the products. They are called spectator ions. 5. Subsequently, the ionic equation can be written as follows : Pb2+(aq) + CO32-(aq) PbCO3(s) 6. Ionic equation excludes the ions that do not change their chemical or physical states. In this case, it is the sodium and nitrate ions that are omitted. 7. But the aqueous silver ion, Ag+(aq), combines with the aqueous chloride ion, Cl-(aq), to form the solid insoluble salt silver chloride, AgCl(s), in this manner changing their states both chemically and physically. 8. The formation of the white solid can be seen in the picture below :

Source : Cengage Learning/Charles D. Winters

9. The precipitation reaction that occurs is also called double decomposition reaction. This is because the two different solutions will exchange their partners in order to form the insoluble salt.

4.0 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, qualitative analysis can determine the correct substance that is given. Qualitative analysis is used to separate and detect cations and anions in a sample substance. It gives an indication of the identity of the chemical species in the sample. A qualitative analysis determines the presence or absence of a particular compound, but not the mass or concentration. That is, if it is not related to quantity. The techniques employed in qualitative analysis vary in complexity, depending on the nature of the sample. Thus, test such as the heating, addition of sodium hydroxide or ammonia solution and precipitation reaction is used to determine the ions in a substance and identify the correct salt. On the contrary, to prepare insoluble salt we can use the precipitation method or also known as double decomposition method. It involves the adding of two soluble salts to form one soluble salt and one insoluble salt that is required. In this experiment, we should prepare Lead Carbonate and the reagents that can be used are Lead nitrate and sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate. The insoluble salt will be formed together with the soluble salt.

5.0 REFERENCE
Yeap Thok Kheng (2010), Essential Chemistry Form 4, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Longman Pearson

Chau Kok Yew (2012), Quick Revision: Chemistry SPM, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia: Pelangi Publishing Groups

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_inorganic_analysis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_(chemistry) http://lmstuition.weebly.com/qualitative-analysis.html http://www.docbrown.info/page03/AcidsBasesSalts06.htm