PRELIMARY TESTS
TEST OBSERVATION INFERENCE
1.Physical
Appearance
White NH4+,Pb2-,Al3+,Zn2+,
Ba2+, Ca2+,Sr2+,Mg2+
Blue Cu2+
Green Ni2+
Colour Brown Fe3+
Red Co2+
Light pink Mn2+
Smell Of NH3 NH4+
Odour Smell Of Vinegar CH3CHOO-
Smell Of Rotten Eggs S2-
2. Dry Heating Colourless gas evolved CO32-
Brown gas evolved Br-,NO3-
Violet gas evolved I-
Crackling Sound Pb(NO3)2,Ba(NO3)2
Cu2+
Brown residue
3.Flame Test Greenish blue Cu2+
Light green Ba2+
Brick red Ca2+
Crimson red Sr2+
Salt Analysis
Cations
Group Group Reagent Radicals
Zero O.s. +NaOH+Heat NH4+
group
I Group O.S.+ HCl Pb2+
II Group O.S.+ HCl +H2S Cu2+
III O.S.+NH4Cl+NH4OH Al3+,Fe3+
Group
IV O.S.+NH4Cl+NH4OH+H2S Ni2+,Mn2+,Zn2+,Co2+
Group
V Group O.S.+NH4Cl+NH4OH+ Ba2+,Ca2+,Sr2+
(NH4)2CO3
VI O.S.+NH4Cl+NH4OH+NaH2PO4 Mg2+
Group
Anions
Group Group Reagent Radicals
I Group Salt+ Dil.H2SO4 CO32-,SO32-,S2-,NO
-
2
II Group Salt+ conc.H2SO4 Cl-,Br-,I-,CH3COO-
Add Cu piece and Heat NO3-
Add KMnO4 soln. C2O42-
III O.S.+BaCl2 SO42-
Group
IV O.S.+conc.HNO3+Heat+(NH4)2MoO4 PO43-
Group
Tests For Anions (Acid Radicals)
(1) First Group
Test Observation Inference
Salt+dil.H2SO4 Colourless,Odourless gas with CO32-
Effervescense
Pass the Changes lime water CO32-
evolved gas Milky
Through lime
water
O.S.+MgSO4 White ppt CO32-
Test Observation Inference
Salt+dil.H2SO4 Colourless gas with rotten egg S2-
smell
O.S.(CH3COO)2Pb Black ppt S2-
O.S.+ sodium Purple colour S2-
nitroprusside
Test Observation Inference
Salt+dil.H2SO4 Brown gas NO2-
O.S.+dil. Brown colour NO2-
H2SO4+FeSO4
O.S.+ Starch Blue colour NO2-
iodide
Test Observation Inference
Salt+dil. H2SO4 Colourless gas with pungent SO32-
smell
O.S.+ Green colour SO32-
dil.H2SO4+K2Cr-
2O7
O.S.+ Pink Colour decolourised SO32-
dil.H2SO4KMnO4
(2) Second Group
Test Observation Inference
Salt+ conc.H2SO4 Colourless gas with Cl-
pungent smell
O.S.+ AgNO3 White ppt
Cl-
White ppt+ excess of White ppt dissolves Cl-
NH4OH
Salt+K2Cr2O7+conc.H2SO4 Red gas pass in NaOH and Cl-
add
(CH3COO)2Pb gives yellow
ppt
Test Observation Inference
Brown gas with pungent smell
Salt+ conc.H2SO4 Br-
Pale yellow ppt
O.S.+ AgNO3 Br-
O.S. + CCl4 + Cl2 Orange layer Br-
water
Test Observation Inference
Violet gas
Salt+ conc.H2SO4 I-
yellow ppt
O.S.+ AgNO3 I-
O.S. + CCl4 + Cl2 pink layer I-
water
Test Observation Inference
Salt+ Brown gas with pungent smell NO3-
conc.H2SO4+ Cu
piece and heat
Brown ring
O.S.+ FeSo4+ NO3-
conc.H2SO4
O.S. + Diphenyl Dark blue colour NO3-
amine
Test Observation Inference
Salt+ Pink colour discharged C2O42-
conc.H2SO4+
KMnO4
O.S.+ CaCl2 White ppt C2O42-
Test Observation Inference
Salt+ conc.H2SO4 Smell of vinegar CH3COO-
Red colour
O.S.+ neu.FeCl3 CH3COO-
Red soln. + Brown ppt CH3COO-
excess water +
heat
(3) No Specific Group
Test Observation Inference
O.S.+ BaCl2 White ppt SO42-
Add HNO3 to Ppt does not dissolve SO42-
white ppt
O.S.+ white ppt SO42-
(CH3COO)2Pb
Test Observation Inference
O.S.+ yellow ppt PO43-
conc.HNO3+Ammonium
Molybdate and heat
Violet ppt
O.S.+Co(NO3)2 PO43-
Add CH3COOH to violet Violet ppt dissloves PO43-
ppt
Tests For Cations (Basic Radical)
(1) Zero Group
Test Observation Inference
O.S. + NaOH + White fumes with HCl NH4+
heat
O.S.+ Nessler’s Brown ppt NH4+
Reagent
(2) First Group
Test Observation Inference
O.S.+ dil. HCl white ppt Pb2+
Yellow ppt
O.S.+ K2CrO4 Pb2+
Pb2+
O.S. + KI Yellow ppt
(3) Second Group
Test Observation Inference
O.S.+ dil. HCl + H2S Black ppt Cu2+
O.S.+NH4OH(excess) Deep Blue Cu2+
Brown ppt
O.S.+ K4Fe(CN)6 Cu2+
(4) Third Group
Test Observation Inference
White gelatinous ppt
O.S.+ NH4Cl+ NH4OH Al3+
White ppt
O.S.+NaOH Al3+
Blue ppt
O.S.+NaOH+dil.HCl+Blue Al3+
litmus+NH4OH (lake
test)
Test Observation Inference
Brown ppt
O.S.+ NH4Cl+ Fe3+
NH4OH
Blood Red
O.S.+KCNS Fe3+
Dark Blue ppt
O.S.+ K4Fe(CN)6 Fe3+
(5) Fourth Group
Test Observation Inference
O.S.+ NH4Cl+ Black ppt Ni2+
NH4OH+H2S
Red rose
O.S.+DMG Ni2+
Light green ppt
O.S.+ NaOH Ni2+
Test Observation Inference
O.S.+ NH4Cl+ Black ppt Co2
NH4OH+H2S
Blue ppt
O.S.+NaOH Co2
Blue ethereal layer
O.S.+ Co2
NH4CNS+ether
Test Observation Inference
O.S.+ NH4Cl+ Buff ppt Mn2+
NH4OH+H2S
Buff ppt
O.S.+NaOH Mn2+
Brown ppt
O.S.+ K4Fe(CN)6 Mn2+
Test Observation Inference
O.S.+ NH4Cl+ Dirty white ppt Zn2+
NH4OH+H2S
White ppt
O.S.+NaOH Zn2+
Bluish white/yellowish white
O.S.+ K4Fe(CN)6 ppt Zn2+
(6) Fifth Group
Test Observation Inference
O.S.+NH4Cl+NH4OH+(NH4)2Co3 White ppt Ba2+,Sr2+,Ca2+
(White ppt dissolves in CH3-
COOH)
O.S.+K2CrO4 Flame test Yellow ppt/ light Ba2+/ Ba2+
green flame
O.S.+(NH4)2SO4 Flame test White ppt/crimson Sr2+/ Sr2+
red flame
O.S.+ (NH4)2C2O4 White ppt/Brick red Ca2+/ Ca2+
flame
(5) Sixth Group
Test Observation Inference
O.S.+ NH4Cl+ White ppt Mg2+
NH4OH+
Na2HPO4
White ppt
Mg2+
O.S.+(NH4)3PO4
White ppt
O.S.+ Mg2+
NaOH+Nessler’s
reagent
