Salt Analysis

Step 1: Note Colour of Salt

Colour of Salt Inference

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 through Nessler’s reagent turns orange.
nessler’s reagent.
Heat a small quantity of salt with NaOH Ammoniacal smell.
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 turns S2-
evolved smells of rotten eggs) black
Acidified Potassium Potassium dichromate paper SO32-
dichromate paper turns green
FeSO4 solution FeSO4 solution turns black NO2-

Anion Confirmatory Test Result

CO32- Shake salt with water and
filter.
(Soluble CO32-)  Filtrate + dil. HCl
 Filtrate + MgSO4
(Insoluble CO32-) Residue + dil. HCl
S2- W.E or S.E + acetic acid (3
drops) + Lead acetate solution
SO32- W.E or S.E + BaCl2 solution
NO2- W.E + acetic acid (2 drops) +
FeSO4
 CO2 with effervescence
 White precipitate.
CO2 with effervescence.
Black precipitate
White precipitate formed
which dissolves in excess in
dil. HCl
Dark red colour
Step 8: Concentrated H2SO4 test for anions. Add salt to concentrated H2SO4 and pass
effervescence through

AgNO3 solution White precipitate formed in Cl-

AgNO3 solution
Starch paper Starch paper turns yellow or Br-
orange
Starch paper turns blue I-
FeSO4 solution FeSO4 solution turns black NO3-
If none of the above tests are positive test for SO42- and acetate

Anion Confirmatory Test Result

Cl- S.E + dil. HNO3. Boil and add White precipitate soluble in
AgNO3 solution. NH4OH.
Br- S.E + dil. HNO3. Boil and add Pale yellow precipitate which
AgNO3 solution. is partially soluble in NH4OH.
I- S.E + dil. HNO3. Boil and add Yellow precipitate insoluble in
AgNO3 solution. NH4OH.
NO3- Salt + conc. H2SO4 +Cu chips. Reddish brown vapours.
Heat.
W.E + FeSO4 + conc. H2SO4 by Brown ring formed.
sides of test tube.
CH3COO- W.E + neutral FeCl3 solution Blood red colour.
SO42- W.E or S.E + dil. HCl + BaCl2 White precipitate formed
solution 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 dilute
HCl.
Group 2: Acidify O.S with
dilute HCl and pass H2S gas
through it.
Group 3: Boil of H2S gas
completely and then add I gm
of NH4Cl and 0.5 cm3 of conc.
HNO3. Boil and cool and then
add NH4OH till it smells of
ammonia.
White precipitate if formed Pb2+, Ag+
Black precipitate is formed Pb2+, Cu2+
 
Reddish brown precipitate Fe3+
 
White precipitate Al3+
 
Green precipitate Cr3+
 
For Fe2+: O.S or filtrate of Fe2+
group 2 + Potassium
ferricyanide solution.
  
Group 4: Pass H2S gas through White precipitate Zn2+
 
solution of group 3 Black precipitate Ni2+
 
or Flesh coloured precipitate Mn2+
O.S + NH4OH+ H2S gas
Group 5: Take Filtrate of White precipitate Ba2+, Sr2+ or Ca2+
group 4. Boil of H2S and divide
solution into three parts. Add
NH4Cl, NH4OH and (NH4)2CO3.
Filter.
Group 6: To filtrate add a White precipitate Mg2+
pinch of NH4OH and excess of
ammonium phosphate
solution.

Confirmation Table:

Cation Confirmatory Test Result

Pb2+ Boil the white precipitate with  Yellow precipitate
distilled water and divide  Yellow precipitate
solution into two parts
 To one part add KI
solution
 To second part add K2CrO4
solution
Cu2+ Dissolve black precipitate in  Deep blue solution
50% HNO3. Bluish green  Chocolate brown
solution formed. precipitate.
 Add excess of NH4OH
solution to bluish green
solution.
 Acidify bluish green
solution with acetic acid
and add potassium
ferrocyanide solution.
Fe3+ Dissolve brown precipitate in  Prussion blue colour or
dilute HCl and divide into two precipitate
parts.  Blood red colouration.
 To first part add
potassium ferrocyanide
solution
 To second part add
potassium sulphocyanide
solution.
Fe2+ O.S + Potassium ferricyanide A blue colour or precipitate
solution
Al3+ White precipitate + dil. HCl + A blue precipitate suspended
few drops of blue litmus in a colourless liquid
solution + NH4OH solution in
excess
Zn2+ Dissolve part of white  Bluish white precipitate
precipitate in dil. HCl. Divide  White precipitate soluble
solution into two parts. in excess of NaOH
 To one part add potassium
ferrocyanide solution
 To second part add NaOH
solution
Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ Dissolve white precipitate in  Yellow precipitate
dil. Acetic acid. Boil of CO2. confirms Ba2+.
 To one part K2Cr04  White precipitate confirms
solution. Sr2+.
 To second part add  White precipitate confirms
ammonium sulphate Ca2+.
solution.
 To third part add
ammonium oxalate
solution.
Mg2+ Wash and suspend a part of Blue precipitate or
white precipitate in water. colouration.
Add a drop of HCl followed by
a few drops of magneson
reagent and excess of NaOH
solution