Freedom Concept School

Systematic Qualitative Analysis Of Inorganic Simple Salt

General Procedure

1. Preliminary Tests

S.NO. EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE

1. COLOUR: Colourless May be absence of Copper,
The colour of the salt is Nickel and Iron.
noted. Blue May be presence of Copper.
Green May be presence of Nickel.
Brown May be presence of Iron.
2. Appearance: Crystalline May be presence of Sulphate,
The appearance of salt is Nitrate and Chloride salts.
noted. Powdery May be presence of Carbonate.
3. Smell: Ammonical smell is May be presence of Ammonia.
The odour is the salt is observed.
noted. Vinegar like smell. May be presence of acetate.
Smell like that of rotten May be presence of sulphide.
egg.
4. SOLUBILITY: May be presence of Sulphate,
A little of the salt is shaken Soluble Nitrate, Carbonate and chloride.
well with distilled water.
5. ACTION OF HEAT: Colourless, odourless gas May be presence of Carbonate.
A small amount of the salt turning lime water milky.
is heated gently in a dry test Salt sublimes with evolution May be presence of
tube. of pungent smelling gas Ammonium.
giving dense white fumes
with a glass rod dipped in
con.HCl.
Reddish brown gas is May be presence of Nitrate.
observed.
The white salt turns yellow May be presence of Zinc.
on heating.
6. Flame test: Brick red coloured flame is May be presence of Calcium.
A small amount of the salt noted.
is made into a paste with Bluish green coloured flame May be presence of Copper.
con.HCl in a watch glass and is noted.
introduced into the non- Persistent grassy green May be presence of Barium.
luminous part of the Bunsen coloured flame is noted.
flame. Dull bluish white coloured May be presence of Lead.
flame is noted.
No characteristic coloured. May be absence of Copper,
flame is noted. Calcium, Barium and Lead.
7. ASH TEST: Green ash May be presence of Zinc.
The filter paper is soaked Blue ash May be presence of Aluminium.
in a mixture of salt solution Pink ash May be presence of Magnesium.
and cobalt nitrate solution and No characteristic coloured May be absence of Zinc,
is introduced into the Bunsen ash. Aluminium, Magnesium.
flame and ignited.
2. Test for acid radicals

1. ACTION OF Dil.HCl: Colourless, odourless gas Presence of Carbonate is

To small amount of dil.HCl with brisk effervescence confirmed.
, the salt is added. turning lime water milky. Absence of carbonate.
No characteristic change.
2. ACTION OF Con.H2SO4: Colourless gas giving dense Presence of Chloride.
To a small amount of the white fumes with a glass
salt, 2ml of Con.H2SO4 added rod dipped in Ammonium
and heated. hydroxide.
Reddish brown gas evolves. Presence of Nitrate.
No characteristic change. Absence of Chloride and Nitrate.

3. MANGANESE DIOXIDE TEST: Greenish yellow gas is Presence of chloride.

A small amount of the salt evolved.
is heated with the pinch of No characteristic change. Absence of chloride.
MnO2 and 1ml of Con.H2SO4.
4. CHROMYL CHLORIDE TEST: Red orange vapour evolved. Presence of Chloride.
To a small amount of the No characteristic change. Absence of Chloride.
salt a pinch of potassium
dichromate is added and
heated with few drops of
Con.H2SO4.
5. COPPER TURNINGS TEST: Reddish brown gas is Presence of Nitrate.
A small amount of the salt evolved.
is heated with copper turnings No characteristic change. Absence of Nitrate.
and a few drops of
Con.H2SO4.

3. PREPARATION OF WATER EXTRACT:

The salt is dissolved with distilled water. This is called water extract.

1. BARIUM CHLORIDE TEST: A white precipitate Sulphate is confirmed.

To a few drops of the insoluble in Con.HCl is
extract, dilute HCl is added obtained.
until the effervescence ceases No white precipitate is Absence if Sulphate.
and 2ml of Barium Chloride is obtained.
added.
2. LEAD ACETATE TEST: A white precipitate soluble Sulphate is confirmed.
To a few drops of the extract, in ammonium acetate and
dilute Acetic acid is added Sodium Hydroxide.
until the effervescence ceases No white precipitate is Absence of Sulphate.
and 2ml of Lead acetate is obtained.
added.
3. SILVER NITRATE TEST: A white precipitate is Chloride is confirmed.
To a few drops of the obtained.
extract, dilute Nitric acid is No white precipitate is Absence of chloride.
added until the effervescence obtained.
ceases and 2ml of the Silver
Nitrate is added.
6. BROWN RING TEST: A brown ring is formed at Nitrate is confirmed.
To a few drops of the the junction of the two
extract, dilute sulphuric acid is layers.
added. The solution is treated No brown ring layer is Absence of Nitrate.
with freshly prepared ferrous obtained.
sulphate and then
concentrated H2SO4 is added
in drops along the side of the
test tube.

4. IDENTIFICATION OF BASIC RADICALS

PREPARATION OF ORGINAL SOLUTION:

The original solution is prepared by dissolving a gram of salt in 15 ml of distilled water.

EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE

A small amount of the salt is heated Pungent smelling gases giving dense Presence of zero group.
with sodium hydroxide solution. white fumes with a glass rod dipped (Ammonium )
in concentrated HCl.

To a few drops of the original White precipitate is obtained. Presence of first group. (Lead)
solution 2ml of dilute hydrochloric
acid is added. No characteristic precipitate. Absence of first group.

To a few drops of the original Black precipitate. Presence of second group. (Copper)
solution 2ml of dilute hydrochloric No characteristic precipitate. Absence of second group.
acid is added and YAS gas is passed.
To a few drops of the original Gelatinous white precipitate. Presence of third group.(Aluminium)
solution 1ml Ammonium chloride
and 2ml Ammonium hydroxide
solution are added. Brown precipitate Presence of third group.(ferric)

To a few drops of the original Dirty White precipitate obtained. Presence of fourth group.
solution 1ml Ammonium hydroxide (Nickel and Zinc)
solution is added and YAS gas is
passed. No characteristic precipitate. Absence of fourth group.

To a few drops of the original White precipitate is obtained. Presence of fifth group.(Calcium and
solution 1ml Ammonium chloride 1 Barium)
ml Ammonium hydroxide and 2ml
Ammonium carbonate is added. No characteristic precipitate. Absence of fifth group.
To a few drops of the original White precipitate is obtained. Presence of sixth group.(Magnesium)
solution 1ml Ammonium chloride,
2ml Ammonium hydroxide and 2ml
disodium hydrogen phosphate are
No characteristic precipitate. Absence of sixth group.
added.

5. CONFIRMATORY TEST FOR BASIC RADICAL

Zero Group(Ammonium)

To a few drops of the original Reddish brown precipitate is Presence of Ammonium is

solution 3ml of Nessler”s reagent obtained. confirmed.
and excess of sodium hydroxide
solution is added.

First group(Lead)

To a few drops of the original Yellow precipitate soluble in hot Presence of lead is confirmed.
solution 2ml of potassium iodide water and reappearing as golden
solution is added. spangles on cooling is obtained.
To a few drops of the original Yellow precipitate is obtained. Presence of lead is confirmed.
solution a 2ml of potassium
chromate solution is added.
Second group(Copper)

To a few drops of the original Pale blue precipitate soluble in Presence of copper is confirmed.
solution, Ammonium hydroxide is excess of ammonium hydroxide to
added in drops to excess. form deep blue solution is obtained.
To a few drops of the original Chocolate brown precipitate is Presence of copper is confirmed.
solution, 2ml of potassium formed.
ferrocyanide solution is added.
Third group(Aluminium))

To a few drops of the original White precipitate soluble in excess of Presence of Aluminium is confirmed.
solution sodium hydroxide is added sodium hydroxide.
in drops to excess.
To a few drops of the original A bright red lake is observed. Presence of Aluminium is confirmed.
solution Ammonium hydroxide and
aluminon reagent are added.
Third group(Ferric)

To a few drops of the original Prussian blue colouration . Presence of Ferric is confirmed.
solution potassium ferrocyanide
solution is added.
Fourth group(Nickel)

To a few drops of the original Rosy red precipitate is obtained. Presence of Nickel is confirmed.
solution Ammonium hydroxide
solution and a few drops of DMG are
added.
Fourth group(Zinc)
To a few drops of the original White precipitate solution in excess Presence of Zinc is confirmed.
solution sodium hydroxide is added of sodium hydroxide.
in drops to excess.
To a few drops of the original White precipitate soluble in excess of Presence of Zinc is confirmed.
solution potassium ferrocyanide sodium hydroxide and insoluble in
solution is added. dilute acid.
Fifth group(Calcium)

To a few drops of the original No yellow precipitate is obtained. Presence of Calcium is confirmed.
solution potassium chromate is
added.
To a few drops of the original White precipitate insoluble in Acetic Presence of Calcium is confirmed.
solution Ammonium hydroxide and acid.
Ammonium oxalate is added.
Fifth group(Barium)

To a few drops of the original Yellow precipitate is obtained. Presence of Barium is confirmed.
solution potassium chromate is
added.
To a few drops of the original White precipitate is obtained. Presence of Barium is confirmed.
solution dilute sulphuric acid is
added.
Sixth group(Magnesium)

To a few drops of the original White precipitate solution in excess Presence of Magnesium is
solution of sodium hydroxide. confirmed.
To a few drops of the original Blue precipitate is obtained. Presence of Magnesium is
solution confirmed.

Result:
The given simple salt contains

1. Acid radicals

2. Basic radicals

The given simple salt is