What is Salt Analysis?

Salt analysis (also known as systematic qualitative analysis or qualitative inorganic analysis) involves the
identification of the cation and anion of an inorganic salt. This is done by conducting a series of tests in a
systematic manner and using the observations to confirm the absence or presence of specific cations and
anions. Salt analysis is an integral part of the CBSE Class 12 Chemistry practical examinations and is a topic
that several students struggle with. Therefore, we at BYJU’S have channelled our efforts into explaining this
topic in a manner that is easy to understand and remember. If questions like “How to do salt analysis?”
and “How to remember salt analysis procedures easily?” are puzzling you, look no further! This article also
touches on certain tricks and shortcuts that students can employ to quickly analyze their assigned salts in
their chemistry practical examinations.

Step-by-Step Process for Salt Analysis

 Step 1: Obtain the inorganic salt whose cation and anion you must identify.
 Step 2: Conduct preliminary tests for the anion group-wise until you obtain a positive result. Anions
and cations are classified into groups that share the same group reagent and therefore, have similar
preliminary tests.
 Step 3: Once you get a positive result for a preliminary test for an anion, conduct a confirmatory
test for that anion. (If you get a positive result, move on to step 4. If you don’t, go back to
conducting preliminary tests for anions.)
 Step 4: Conduct preliminary tests for cations group-wise until you obtain a positive result.
 Step 5: Once a positive result is obtained, conduct a confirmatory test for that cation.
 Step 6: Now that the cation and the anion are identified, obtain the chemical formula of the salt by
balancing the charges of the cation and anion. For example, if your cation is Fe 3+ and your anion is
Cl–, the chemical formula of the salt will be FeCl3.
Note: You can also identify the cation first and then move on to identifying the anion.
Salt Analysis Concept Booster
Salt Analysis Answer Format (Sample)

A sample answer format for salt analysis is provided below.

Aim: To identify the acidic radical and the basic radical of the given inorganic salt.
Apparatus Required: Fill as per requirement.
Procedure:
(i) Preliminary Test for Anion:
Experiment Observation Inference
(ii) Confirmatory Test for Anion:
Experiment Observation Inference
(iii) Preliminary Test for Cation:
Experiment Observation Inference
(iv) Confirmatory Test for Cation:
Experiment Observation Inference
Result: The acidic radical is (anion), and the basic radical is (cation). Therefore, the given salt is identified to
be (salt).

Tricks and Shortcuts for Salt Analysis

Always check the colour of the salt first. Certain cations have coloured salts. If the salt is coloured, you can
directly conduct a preliminary test for the cation that forms salts of that colour. The cations that form
coloured salts are tabulated below:

Colour of the Inorganic Salt Cation

Blue Cu2+
Deep blue Co2+ (anhydrous salt)
Greenish-blue Cu2+ (hydrated salt)
Green Ni2+ (hydrated salt)
Light green Fe2+
Yellow, brown, or yellowish-brown Fe3+
Pale pink Mn2+
Rose-red Co2+ or mercuric iodide (HgI2)
Purple or dark green Cr3+
If the salt is colourless, perform a flame test first (since the presence of 3 different cations can be
confirmed by it). An easier way to perform the flame test is to pick up a chunk of the salt with test tube
holders, pour a few drops of concentrated HCl on it, and expose it to the flame of a Bunsen burner.

If you do not gain any insight into the cation from the flame test (or from visual inspection), proceed with
group-wise preliminary tests for cations. Note that some cations do not form salts with certain anions, as
listed below.

 Ba2+, Sr2+, Pb2+, and Ca2+ do not form salts with the sulphate anion (SO42-).
 Only group 0, group 1, and group 2 cations form salts with the phosphate anion (PO 43-).
If you identify one of these cations in the salt analysis, you need not conduct tests for the corresponding
anions.
Finally, certain salts are very common in salt analysis examinations. For example, the most common salt
containing the bromide ion (Br–) is NH4Br and the most common salt containing the calcium cation (Ca 2+) is
CaCl2. Also, some salts can be identified by observing their texture and appearance (for example, calcium
carbonate has the texture of powdered chalk). Therefore, visiting your chemistry laboratory and physically
examining the salts may help you quickly analyze the salt in the practical examination.
List of Common Cations (Basic Radicals) for Salt Analysis

*Note: Multiple Ions belonging to the same group have the same preliminary test but different
confirmatory tests.

Group Cations
Group 0 NH4+
Group 1 Pb2+
Group 2 Cu2+
Group 3 Fe3+, Fe2+, Al3+
Group 4 Co2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Zn2+
Group 5 Ba2+, Ca2+, Sr2+
Group 6 Mg2+

List of Common Anions (Acidic Radicals) for Salt Analysis

Group Anions
Group 1 CO32-, NO2–, SO32-, S2-
Group 2 Cl–, Br–, I–, CH3COO–, NO3–, C2O42-
Group 3 PO43-, SO42-

Preliminary Test for Anions

In salt analysis, preliminary tests for anions are conducted group-wise to find the anion of the salt. After
getting a positive preliminary test for an anion, a confirmatory test must be conducted to confirm the
presence of that anion in the salt.

Preliminary Test for Group 1 Anions

Experiment: Add a few drops of dilute H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) to a small quantity of the salt in a test tube (If
nothing happens, move on to preliminary test for group 2 anions).

Anion Positive Result

Carbonate (CO32-) Colourless and odourless gas that turns limewater milky
Sulphite (SO32-) Colourless, pungent-smelling gas
Sulphide (S2-) Colourless gas which smells like rotten eggs
Nitrite (NO2–) Light brown gas having a pungent smell

Preliminary Test for Group 2 Anions

Experiment: Take a small chunk of the salt in a test tube and add a few drops of concentrated
H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) to it (If nothing happens, move on to preliminary test for group 2 anions).
 Anion Positive Result
White, pungent-smelling fumes that intensify when a glass rod dipped in ammonium
Chloride (Cl–)
hydroxide is brought to the mouth of the test tube
Bromide (Br–) Reddish-brown fumes
Iodide (I–) Violet fumes
Acetate
Pungent fumes that smell like vinegar
(CH3COO–)
Nitrate (NO3–) Brown fumes with a pungent smell
Oxalate (C2O4–) Bubbly effervescence of a combination of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gas

Preliminary Test for Group 3 Anions

The sulphate and phosphate ions (group 3 anions) do not have any preliminary tests. If no positive
preliminary tests are obtained for group 1 and group 2 anions, you can directly jump to confirmatory tests
for the sulphate and phosphate anions.
Confirmatory Test for Anions

*Note: Water extract of the salt can be prepared by dissolving a pinch of the inorganic salt in a few drops
of water.

Anion Confirmatory Test Positive Observation

Add magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) to the
Carbonate (CO32-) Formation of a white precipitate.
water extract of the salt
Formation of a white precipitate which
Add aqueous barium chloride (BaCl2) to the
Sulphite (SO32-) disappears when diluting hydrochloric
water extract
acid (HCl) is added.
(i) Add sodium nitroprusside to the water
extract (i) The solution turns purple or violet
Sulphide (S2-)
(ii) Add aqueous lead acetate to the water (ii) Formation of a black precipitate
extract
Boil a mixture of the water extract and
The solution develops a deep blue
Nitrite (NO2–) dilute H2SO4. Now add solid potassium
colour
iodide and starch solution to it
Formation of a white precipitate which
Add silver nitrate (AgNO3) to the water
Chloride (Cl–) is soluble in ammonium hydroxide
extract
(NH4OH)
Formation of a yellow precipitate
Bromide (Br–) Add silver nitrate to the water extract which is partially soluble in ammonium
hydroxide
Formation of a yellow precipitate
Iodide (I–) Add silver nitrate to the water extract
which is insoluble in NH4OH
Mix the water extract with iron (II) sulphate
solution (FeSO4) and add one drop of Formation of a brown ring at the
Nitrate (NO3–)
concentrated nitric acid (HNO3) along the junction of the acid and the solution.
side of the test tube.
Add concentrated H2SO4 and some ethanol Development of a fruity smell (due to
Acetate (CH3COO–)
to the salt. the formation of an ester)
Formation of a white precipitate that
Add acetic acid and calcium chloride to the
Oxalate (C2O4–) dissolves upon the addition of dilute
water extract and boil the solution.
HNO3
Sulphate (SO42-) Add aqueous barium chloride (BaCl2) to the Formation of a white precipitate which
 is insoluble in concentrated
water extract
hydrochloric acid (HCl)
Add dilute nitric acid (HNO3) and
ammonium molybdate ((NH4)2MoO4) to the Formation of a yellow, crystalline
Phosphate (PO43-)
water extract and boil the resulting precipitate
solution.
Shortcut: Ammonium bromide (NH4Br) is the most common salt containing the bromide ion in school
laboratories. If you confirm the presence of bromide ions in the salt, you can immediately try a
confirmatory test for the ammonium cation (NH4+)

Preliminary Test for Cations

In salt analysis. preliminary tests for cations must be conducted in order to check for the presence of
different cations in the inorganic salt. This is done in a manner that is similar to the preliminary tests for
anions. Note that some cation groups (such as group 0 and group 6 cations) do not have any preliminary
tests. For these cations, confirmatory tests may be conducted directly.

Note: The original solution (OS) of the salt can be prepared by mixing a small amount of the inorganic salt
with water and acid.

Preliminary Test for Group 1 Cations

Experiment: Add a few drops of dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl) to the original solution.

Cation Positive Result

Lead (Pb2+) Formation of a white precipitate

Preliminary Test for Group 2 Cations

Experiment: Add a few drops of dilute HCl and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) to the original solution.

Cation Positive Result

Copper (Cu2+) A black precipitate is formed

Preliminary Test for Group 3 Cations

 Ferrous salts (featuring Fe2+ ions) are green in colour and ferric salts (featuring Fe 3+ ions) are brown
in colour.
 For aluminium (Al3+ ion), a gelatinous white precipitate is obtained when the solid ammonium
chloride (NH4Cl) and excess ammonium hydroxide are added to the original solution.

Preliminary Test for Group 4 Cations

Experiment: Add solid NH4Cl and excess NH4OH to the original solution. Now pass H2S gas through it.

Cation Positive Result

Cobalt (Co2+) and Nickel (Ni2+), conduct both confirmatory tests Formation of a black precipitate

Manganese (Mn2+) A skin-coloured precipitate is formed

Zinc (Zn2+) A greyish-white precipitate is formed

Preliminary Test for Group 5 Cations

Experiment: Add ammonium carbonate ((NH4)2CO3), ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), and ammonium
hydroxide to the original solution. If you obtain a white precipitate, the cation might be a group 5 cation.
Add dilute acetic acid (CH3COOH) to dissolve the white precipitate. Now do the following tests in the same
order followed in the tabular column provided below.

Cation Positive Result

Barium (Ba2+) A yellow precipitate is formed when K2CrO4 is added to the solution.

Strontium
A white precipitate is formed when aqueous (NH4)2SO4 is added to the solution.
(Sr2+)

A white precipitate is formed when aqueous (NH4)2C2O4 (ammonium oxalate) and

Calcium (Ca2+)
NH4OH are added to the solution.

Confirmatory Tests for Cations

Cation Confirmatory Test Positive Observation

Add sodium hydroxide to the original solution and treat it Formation of a yellow or
Ammonium (NH4+)
with Nessler’s reagent (K2HgI4) brown precipitate

(i) Add potassium iodide (KI) to the original solution

2+ Formation of a yellow
Lead (Pb )
precipitate (for both the
(ii) Add potassium chromate (K2CrO4) to the original
tests)
solution
In the preliminary test, a black precipitate is obtained
from the addition of dilute HCl and H2S to the original A blue coloured solution
Copper (Cu2+)
solution. Isolate the black precipitate and add excess is formed
ammonium hydroxide to it
Add concentrated nitric acid to the original solution and
A blue precipitate is
Iron (Fe3+) heat it. A brown precipitate will form. Add HCl and
formed
potassium ferrocyanide (K4[Fe(CN)6]) to it
 A gelatinous white precipitate is obtained when NH4Cl
A floating, blue layer is
3+ and excess NH4OH are added to the original solution.
Aluminium (Al ) formed on the surface of
Isolate the precipitate and dissolve it in HCl. Now add
the clear solution
blue litmus and NH4OH to it drop-by-drop
Add solid NH4Cl and excess NH4OH to the original solution
and pass H2S gas through it. Dissolve the resulting blue A yellow precipitate is
Cobalt (Co2+)
residue in water and add dilute CH3COOH and KNO2 to it. obtained.
Now warm the mixture.
Add solid NH4Cl and excess NH4OH to the original solution
and pass H2S gas through it. Dissolve the resulting yellow
2+ A black precipitate is
Nickel (Ni ) residue in water (you will now obtain a green-coloured
formed
solution). Add NaOH and bromine water to this mixture
and boil it.
Formation of a white
To the skin-coloured precipitate obtained in the
Manganese precipitate that turns
2+ preliminary test, add dilute HCl and boil off the H2S. Now
(Mn ) brown or black when
add NaOH.
bromine water is added
Add NaOH (in excess) to the greyish-white precipitate The white precipitate is
Zinc (Zn2+)
obtained in the preliminary test. dissolved
Ba2+: Green-coloured
2+ Flame test: Make a paste of the salt by mixing it with a
Barium (Ba ), flame
few drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid. Now skim
Strontium (Sr2+), Sr2+: Crimson red flame
2+ off some of the paste with a glass rod and expose it to a
and Calcium (Ca )
Bunsen Burner’s flame.
Ca2+: Brick red flame
Magnesium Add NH4Cl, (NH4)3PO4 (ammonium phosphate) and excess A white precipitate is
2+
(Mg ) NH4OH to the original solution. obtained.

Aim

To identify the cationic radicals present in an inorganic mixture of salts by performing various tests.

Also Read: Systematic Analysis of Cations Viva Questions

Theory

Qualitative analysis is the systematic approach that involves precipitation reaction to remove cations
sequentially from a mixture. The behaviour of the cations toward a set of common test reagents differs
from one cation to another and furnishes the basis for their separation.

The qualitative analysis of an inorganic mixture is started by first carrying out some preliminary tests. The
Preliminary tests for cations are

1. Physical examination
2. Charcoal cavity test
3. Boraxbead test
4. Flame test
These tests do not give conclusive evidence yet they provide some information about the ions present in
the mixture.

Qualitative analysis of cations usually consists of three stages.

1. First based on different solubility properties the cations are separated into 5 groups through the
successive addition of selective precipitating reagents.
2. Second, within each group precipitated cations are separated through selective dissolution
processes.
3. Third, the presence of each cation is verified through different identification tests.
The cations are classified into the following 5 groups.

1. Group I Cations (Ag+, Hg22+ and Pb2+ – insoluble chlorides):

Among the common metallic cations only three cations form insoluble chlorides with hydrochloric acid.
When 6M of HCl is added to the solution, white precipitates of AgCl, Hg2Cl2 and PbCl2 are formed. Other
metallic cations remain in solution.

2. Group II Cations (Hg2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Bi3+, Cd2+, As3+, Sb3+ and Sn4+ – insoluble sulphides in acidic medium):

After the insoluble chlorides are isolated, the pH of the solution is adjusted to 0.5 and then H 2S is added.
Since the concentration of sulphide ion (s2-) is very low at low pH, only those metallic sulphided having very
low Ksp values will precipitate. Cations with larger Ksp values for their sulphides remain in solution.

3. Group III Cations (Al3+. Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cr3+, Zn2+ and Mn2+ – insoluble sulphides or hydroxides in
alkaline medium):

After isolating the insoluble sulphides in acidic medium, the solution is made basic and the metallic
sulphides having larger Ksp values such as ZnS, NiS, CoS and MnS precipitate. Moreover, since the solution
is basic Al3+, Fe3+ and Cr3+ form insoluble hydroxides and are also separated from the solution.

4. Group IV Cations (Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ – carbonate precipitates):

These three metallic cations all belong to Group IIA in the periodic table of elements and therefore their
chemical properties are very similar. They form soluble chlorides and sulphides and hence are separable
from groups 1, 2 and 3 cations. However, their carbonates precipitate in a mixture of ammonium
carbonate, ammonium chloride or ammonia solution.

5. Group V Cations (Mg2+, Na+, K+ and NH4+):

None of the cations in this group form precipitates in the separation processes of group 1-4 cations and
thus remain in the final solution.

The flowchart for separating the five groups of cations is given below.
Classification of Cations
The list of cations comprising the seven groups and the group reagent used for precipitating them out from
the solution is tabulated below.

Group Cations Group Reagents

Zero NH4+, K+ Tested using the mixture.

I Ag+, Hg22+, Pb2+ HCl

II A Hg2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Bi3+, Cd2+

B As3+, Sb3+, Sn2+ H2S in the presence of HCl

III Al3+, Cr3+, Fe3+ NH4Cl + NH4OH

IV Zn2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+ H2S in presence of NH4Cl and NH4OH

V Ba2+, Ca2+, Sr2+ NH4Cl + NH4OH + (NH4)2CO3

VI Mg2+, K+

Materials Required

1. Test tubes
2. Boiling tubes
3. Test tube holder
4. Test tube stand
5. Corks
6. Filter paper
7. Delivery tube
8. Reagents
9. Measuring cylinder

Procedure

(i) Preliminary Test of Cations

Colour Inference

Blue or bluish green Copper or Nickel salts

Light green Ferrous salts

Dark green Chromium salts

 Dark brown Ferric salts

Light pink or Flesh colour Manganese salts

White Absence of Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn and Co salts

(ii) Charcoal Cavity Test

In this test the cations is converted into the metal carbonate in a charcoal cavity which decomposes on
heating to metal oxide or even to the metallic state. The cation present can be detected from the colour of
the bead or residue left in the cavity or deposit formed outside the cavity called incrustation.

ZnSO4 + Na2CO3 → ZnCO3 + Na2SO4

ZnCO3 → ZnO (yellow when hot) + CO2

CuSO4 + Na2CO3 → CuCO3 + Na2SO4

CuCO3 → CuO + CO2

CuO + C → Cu (reddish) + CO

CdCl2 + Na2CO3 → CdCO3 + 2NaCl

CdCO3 → CdO (reddish brown) + CO2

 Procedure for Charcoal Cavity Test

Make a small cavity in charcoal block with the help of a borer. Mix the given mixture with sodium
carbonate or fusion mixture, moisten it with a drop of water, heat it in the charcoal cavity in the reducing
flame with the help of a mouth blowpipe and observe the colour of the residue left.

(iii) Borax Bead Test

This test is used for the detection of cations in coloured mixtures which may contain copper, nickel, iron or
manganese. The borax bead reacts with these metal oxides to form metabolites which have characteristic
colour. Some metaborates when heated in reducing flame form lower metaborates or even metals thus
causing a change in the colour of bead.

Na2B4O7.10H2O → Na2B4O7(White porous mass) → NaBO2 + B2O3

B2O3 + CuSO4 → Cu(BO2)2(blue green cupric metaborate) + SO3↑

2Cu(BO2)2 + C → 2CuBO2(colourless coprous metaborate) + B2O3 + CO↑

2CuBO2 + C → 2Cu (red) + B2O3 + CO↑

 Procedure for Borax Bead Test

 Make a small loop at the end of the platinum wire.

 Heat the loop in a Bunsen flame until it is red hot.
 Dip it into powdered borax placed on a watch glass and heat again. The borax will first swell up and
will fuse giving a colourless, transparent glass like bead.
 Touch the hot bead with conc.HCl and touch it with the given mixture or salt. Heat it in an oxidising
(non-luminous) and reducing (luminous) flame. Observe the colour of the bead and draw
inferences.

(iv) Flame Test

Certain cations like fifth group radicals Ba2+, Sr2+ and Ca2+ in the form of their chlorides impart characteristic
colours to the non-luminous flame. The chlorides of these cations are thermally ionised. The ions so
formed absorb heat energy and get excited. The extra energy is released in the form of light of the
characteristic colour in the visible part of spectrum. Since different metal ions emit light energy of different
wavelengths, the colours imparted by the different cations to the flame are also different.
 Procedure for Flame Test

 Take a platinum wire and dip it in conc.HCl taken on a watch glass and heat it strongly in the flame.
Repeat this process until the wire does not impart any colour to the flame.
 Dip platinum wire in con.HCl and then touch it with a given salt and heat it in the flame of the
Bunsen burner. Observe the colour of the flame and draw inferences.

Observation and Inference

(i) Charcoal Cavity Test

S.No Observation Inference

1 Shining metallic bead with yellow incrustation soft and mark Pb2+(Lead)
paper.

2 Shining metallic bead does not mark paper. Ag+(Silver)

3 Brittle bead with yellow or brown incrustation. Bi3+(Bismuth)

4 White incrustation with white fumes having garlic odour. As3+(Arsenic)

5 Brown residue and brown incrustation. Cd2+(Cadmium)

 6 Red residue without incrustation. Cu2+(Copper)

7 Yellow residue and yellow incrustation when hot and white in Zn2+(Zinc)
cold.

8 White residue May be Al3+, Ca2+, Ba2+ or

Mg2+

9 Black residue without incrustation. Fe3+, Ni3+, Mn2+

10 No bead, white liquid globule and smoke. Hg (Mercury)

(ii) Borax Bead Test

S.No Colour of the Bead in Oxidising Colour of the Bead in Reducing Flame Inference
Flame

Hot Cold Hot Cold

1 Green Blue Reddish or Reddish or Copper

Colourless Colourless

2 Yellow Yellow Green Green Iron

3 Brown Brown Grey or Black Grey or Black Nickel

4 Pink Pink Colourless Colourless Manganese

(iii) Flame Test

S.No Colour of the Flame Inference

With Naked Eye Through Blue Glass

1 Golden Yellow Nil Sodium (Na+)

2 Violet Pink Potassium (K+)

3 Crimson red Purple or crimson Strontium (Sr2+)

4 Brick red Light yellow Calcium (Ca2+)

5 Light green Bluish green Barium (Ba2+)

6 Bluish green or blue Bluish green or blue Copper (Cu2+)

7 Flashes of green Not characteristic Zinc (Zn2+) or Manganese (Mn2+)

Results

The given salt contains ________ (NH4+, K+, Ag+, Hg22+, Pb2+, Hg2+, Cu2+, Bi3+, Cd2+, As3+, Sb3+, Sn4+, Al3+, Fe3+,
Co2+, Ni2+, Cr3+, Zn2+, Mn2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, Mg2+, Na+) cation.

Precautions

1. Read the label carefully on the bottle before using any reagent or chemicals. Never use a reagent
that is unlabeled.
2. Always use an apron, an eye protector and hand gloves in the chemical laboratory.
3. In smelling chemicals or vapours, be careful. Always gently fan the vapours to your nose
4. Do not unnecessarily mix chemicals with reagents. Do not taste chemicals at all.
5. For dilution, always pour acid into water. Never add acid to water.
6. Never add or throw sodium metal into the sink or dustbin.
7. Be careful as the test tube is heated. When heating or adding a reagent, the test tube should never
point to yourself or your neighbours.
8. For dilution, always pour acid into water. Never add acid to water.
9. Keep clean your working environment. Never throw in the sink any papers and glass. For this
purpose, always use dustbin.
10. Be careful with explosive compounds, flammable substances, toxic gasses, electrical appliances,
glass products, flames and hot substances.
11. Always use the minimum quantity of reagents. The use of excessive reagents not only leads to
chemicals being wasted, but also causes environmental damage.
12. Always wash your hands after the laboratory work has been completed.

Frequently Asked Questions on Systematic Analysis of Cations

Q1

Name the group 1 cation which forms white precipitate.

Pb2+.
Q2

Name the group 2 cation which forms chocolate brown precipitate.

Cu2+.
Q3

Name the group 3 cation which produces a deep red colour.

Fe3+
Q4

Name the group 4 cation which obtains a black precipitate.

Ni2+.
Q5

Name the group 4 cation which obtains a white precipitate.

Sr2+
Cations:- Pb2+, Cu2+, As3+, Al3+, Fe3+, Mn2+ , Zn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, Mg2+, NH4+

Q1. What is the difference between a qualitative and quantitative analysis?

Answer. The primary distinction between qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis in chemistry is that
qualitative chemistry determines the presence or absence of various chemical components in a sample,
whereas quantitative chemistry determines the amount of various chemical components present in a given
sample.

Q2. What is Qualitative Analysis?

Answer. Qualitative analysis is an Analytical chemistry method for determining the elemental composition
of inorganic salts. It is primarily concerned with the detection of ions in a salt aqueous solution.

The standard method for testing any unknown sample is to make a solution of it and then test it with
various reagents for the ions present in it. Testing with different reagents yields a characteristic reaction of
certain ions, which can be a colour change, a solid formation, or any other visible changes.

Q3. Can we use a glass rod instead of platinum wire for performing the flame test? Explain your answer.

Answer. No, we cannot use a glass rod instead of platinum wire for performing the flame test. This is
because platinum is unreactive and does not produce a colour in the flame that masks the presence of
other metals.

Q4. Why is platinum metal preferred to other metals for the flame test?

Answer. Platinum is chemically inert, which means it does not react with other elements to form oxides or
other compounds. When performing a flame test, this stability is desirable because it ensures that we only
see the spectrum of what we are burning.

Q5. What is the characteristic colour of cations of iron?

Answer. The characteristic colour of cations of iron is light green, yellow and brown.

Q6. What is the characteristic colour of Cu2+?

Answer. The characteristic colour of Cu2+ is blue.

Q7. What is the characteristic colour of Ni2+?

Answer. The characteristic colour of Ni2+ is bright green.

Q8. What is the characteristic colour of Co2+?

Answer. The characteristic colour of Co2+ is blue, red, violet and pink.

Q9. What is the characteristic colour of Mn2+?

Answer. The characteristic colour of cations of Mn2+ is light pink.

Q10. Which colour of the flame is observed through the naked eye for Ca 2+?

Answer. Brick red

Q11. The green flame with a blue centre is given by which cation?

Answer. Cu2+

Q12. Analysis of which group cation gives white fumes in the confirmatory test?

Zero group cation NH4+.

Answer. Ammonia gas produced by the action of sodium hydroxide on ammonium salts reacts with
hydrochloric acid to produce ammonium chloride, which appears as a dense white fume.

Q13. What is Nessler’s reagent?

Answer. Nessler’s reagent is a solution of mercury (II) iodide (HgI2) in potassium iodide (KI) and potassium
hydroxide (KOH).

As a confirmatory test for ammonium ion NH4+, Nessler’s reagent is used.

The presence of NH4+ ion is confirmed by the presence of brown or yellow precipitate.

Q14. What is the name of the product formed by reacting NH4+ ions with Nessler’s Reagent?

Answer. HgO. Hg(NH2)I basic mercure (II) amido-iodine. Iodide of Millon’s base is its common name.

Q15 What is the observation for confirmatory tests for Group – I cation Pb 2+?

Answer. Add potassium iodide solution to one part of the solution in a test tube. If a yellow precipitate
forms and the ppt dissolves in boiling water and recrystallizes on cooling. This will confirm the presence of
Pb2+.

Q16. What is the group reagent of Group I?

Answer. Dilute HCl.

Q17. How can you confirm that the cation in the given salt is Cu 2+?

Answer. H2S gas will be made to pass through the solution which will precipitate the radicals.

Dissolve the precipitate in nitric acid. If the formed precipitate dissolves in 50% nitric acid, yielding a blue
solution when an excess of NH4OH is added. This will confirm the presence of Cu2+.

Q18. What is the group reagent of Group II?

Answer. This group consists of Pb2+ and Cu2+ in the IIA Group and As3+ in the IIB Group. The group reagent is
H2S gas in the presence of dil. HCl

Q19. What is the group reagent of Group III?

Answer. Group III cations are precipitated as hydroxides by adding ammonium hydroxide in the presence
of ammonium chloride. Thus, in the presence of NH4Cl, the group reagent for this group is NH4OH.

Q20. What is the colour of the precipitate formed when ferric hydroxide is dissolved in HCl?

Answer. The reddish-brown precipitate (ferric chloride- FeCl3) is formed when ferric hydroxide is dissolved
in HCl

Q21. What is the group reagent of Group IV?

Answer. CO2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+ are the radicals found in this group. On passing H2S gas through the salt’s
ammonical solution, these are precipitated as sulphides. Thus, the group’s reagent is H 2S gas in the
presence of NH4Cl and NH4OH.

Q22. How will you confirm the presence of Cobalt ion?

Answer. React the given salt with potassium nitrite in the presence of acetic acid. If the precipitate formed
is yellow it will confirm the presence of cobalt ions. The yellow precipitate is of potassium cobalt nitrite.

Q23. How will you analyse for Group IV cations?

Answer. If group-III is not present, pass H2S gas through the group-III solution for a few minutes. If a
precipitate (white, black, or flesh-coloured) appears, it indicates the presence of group-IV cations.

Q24. What is the borax bead test?

Answer. When powdered borax, Na2B4O7 •10H2O, is heated vigorously in a Bunsen burner flame, it forms a
colourless transparent glassy bead known as a borax bead, which is composed of sodium meta borate
(NaBO2) and boric oxide (B2O3). A borax bead is used to detect metals in a solution.

Q25. Why is the borax bead test not applicable in the case of white salts?

Answer. White salts do not give rise to coloured meta-borates.

Q26. Why is the original solution for cations not prepared in conc. HNO 3 or H2SO4?

Answer. Since concentrated HNO3 acid is a very strong oxidising and nitrating agent, the original solution is
not prepared in it. When nitric acid is used for salt analysis, the conc. HNO 3 in the solution can oxidise the
ions present.

Concentrated H2SO4 has dehydrating properties, it can be used not only as an acid but also as a
dehydrating agent in the synthesis of other acids.

Q27. Why cannot conc. HCl is used as a group reagent in place of dil. HCl for the precipitation of Ist group
cations?

Answer. The conc. HCl is Not used because high concentrations of ions increase the solubility of group I
chloride precipitate through the formation of soluble complex ions.

Q28. How can one prevent the precipitation of Group–IV radicals, with the second group radicals?

Answer. In the presence of HCl, H2S is passed in the qualitative analysis of cations from the second group.
The ionisation of H2S decreases and lessens as a result of the common ion effect.

Q29. Why is it essential to boil off H2S gas before precipitation of radicals of the group–III?

Answer. The solution is boiled with conc. nitric acid prior to precipitation of group III cations. If H 2S is not
boiled off, it will react with HNO3 and oxidise to colloidal sulphur, interfering with further analysis.

Q30. Can we use ammonium sulphate instead of ammonium chloride in the group–III?

Answer. In group 3, we cannot use ammonium sulphate instead of ammonium chloride due to the
precipitation of Sulphate (SO42–), such as BaSO4, which may interfere with the systematic investigation of
the salt.

Q31. Why is NH4OH added before (NH44)2CO3 solution while precipitating group–V cations?

Answer. In salt analysis, a sufficient amount of NH4Cl is added before adding

This is done to convert NH4HCO3, which is usually present in large quantities into (NH4)2CO3.

Q32. What is aqua regia?

Answer. Aqua regia is a 3:1 by volume mixture of concentrated HCl and concentrated HNO 3.

Q33. Name a cation, which is not obtained from a metal.

Answer. Ammonium ion (NH4+).

Q34. Why are the group–V radicals tested in the order Ba 2+, Sr2+ and Ca2+?
Answer. Ba2+ also gives Sr2+ and Ca2+ tests. Sr2+ also provides Ca2+ tests. Therefore, before confirming Sr2+,
we must demonstrate the absence of Ba2+, and before confirming Ca2+, we must demonstrate the absence
of both Ba2+ and Sr2+.

Q35. Why should the solution be concentrated before proceeding to the group–V?

Answer. Before moving on to group 5, the solution is concentrated by adding an excess of NH 4Cl to ensure
that the ionic product of group 6 cation, Mg2+, does not exceed its solubility product and thus does not
precipitate with group 5 cations.

Q36. What do you understand by the term common ion effect?

Answer. The common ion effect describes the effect on equilibrium that occurs when a common ion (an
ion already present in the solution) is added to it. In general, the common ion effect reduces a solute’s
solubility. It can also have an effect on buffering solutions, as adding more conjugate ions can cause the pH
of the solution to change.

Download Class 12 Chemistry Viva questions on the Determination of cations in a given salt by clicking
on the button below.

Systematic Analysis of Anions

Inorganic salts can be obtained with a base through complete or partial neutralization of acid. The part that
the acid contributes is called anion in the formation of a salt and the part that the base contributes is called
cation. The preliminary examination gives important clues about the presence of some anions or cations.
The systematic analysis of anions is an integral part of salt analysis (or qualitative inorganic analysis).

Table of Contents

AimTheoryMaterials RequiredApparatus SetupProcedureResultsPrecautions

Aim:

To identify the anionic radicals present in an inorganic mixture of salts by performing various tests.

Theory:

Qualitative analysis involves the detection and identification of acidic and basic radicals present in
inorganic salts. Inorganic salts are formed by the reaction of acids and bases or acidic oxides with a base or
basic oxides.

Some of the examples of the reaction of acids and bases or acidic oxides with a base or basic oxides are

NaOH + HCl → NaCl + H2O

CO2 + 2NaOH → Na2CO3 + H2O

KOH + HNO3 → KNO3 + H2O

2NaOH + H2SO4 → Na2SO4 + 2H2O

Most of the organic compounds are crystalline solids as they have defined geometrical shapes. Usually,
they consist of oppositely charged particles or ions called radicals.

In the salt analysis, two fundamental principles are of great use

1. Solubility Product
2. Common Ion Effect

1. Solubility Product:

Solubility product is defined as a product of ion concentrations elevated to a power equal to the number of
occurrences of ions in an equation representing electrolyte dissociation at a given temperature when the
solution is saturated. Under all conditions, the solubility product is not the ionic product, but only if the
solution is saturated.

2. Common Ion Effect:

The phenomenon that suppresses the degree of dissociation of any weak electrolyte by adding a small
amount of strong electrolyte that contains a common ion is called the common ion effect. For example, by
adding a strong electrolyte sodium acetate containing common acetate ion, ionization of weak electrolyte
acetic acid is suppressed.

Materials Required:

1. Test tubes
2. Boiling tubes
3. Test tube holder
4. Test tube stand
5. Corks
6. Filter paper
7. Delivery tube
8. Reagents

Apparatus Setup:
 Also Read: Systematic Analysis of Anions Viva Questions

Procedure:
S.No Experiment Observation Inference

1 Preliminary reactions Given salt is colourless Fe2+, Fe3+,

Ni2+ and
Co2+ ions are
absent.

Appearance If the given salt is green May be Fe2+,

Ni2+, Cu2+

If the given salt is brown May be Fe2+

If the given salt is pink May be Co2+.

Mn2+
 If the given salt is blue Cu2+

2 Action of Heat: A colorless gas with a May be

pungent odor that turns NH4+ salt.
Take a small quantity of the salt in a dry test moist red litmus blue
paper.
tube, heat it gently.
Reddish brown vapors are May be NO3–
obtained that turn
acidified ferrous sulfate
brown paper.
In cold, the substance is May be (Zn)2+
white and in hot, yellow.
3 Flame Test: (a) Apple green colour May be Ba2+
Add a drop of Con.HCl to a small amount of flame. May be Sr2+
salt in a watch glass and put it in a paste. Put (b) Crimson red colour
May be Ca2+
the paste into the base of the non-luminous flame.
bunsen burner with the help of a glass rod May be Cu2+
(c) Brick red colour flame.

(d) Bluish green flame

Identification of Anions from Volatile Products:

S.No Experiment Observation Inference

4 Action of dilute.H2SO4: Brisk effervescence is obtained from Anion is

colorless, odorless gas that turns Carbonate CO32-
Add 1 or 2ccs of dilute H2SO4 to a lime water.
small portion of the salt in a test Colorless gas with an odor of rotten Sulphide anion is
eggs is obtained, turning lead present.
tube and warm it gently.
acetate black paper.
Colorless gas with the odor of Sulfate anion is
burning sulfur that turns acidified present.
dichromate green.
Reddish brown gas is obtained with a Nitrate anion is
fishy odor that turns acidified brown present.
ferrous sulphate.
Colorless vinegar-flavored gas is May be acetate
obtained. anion.
No characteristic observation. Absence of above
mentioned
anions.
5 Action of Con. H2SO4: Reddish-brown vapors that turn May be bromide
Add 2-3 ccs of Con. H2SO4 to a moist red paper fluorescent. anion.
small amount of salt taken in a test Colorless gas with a pungent smell May be chloride
that provides dense white fumes anion.
tube and heat it gently.
with a dipped glass rod
in NH4OH solution.
Violet colored vapors that turn blue May be iodide
or violet starch paper. anion.
 Reddish-brown vapors turning May be nitrate
brown ferrous sulfate paper into anion.
acidified.
No characteristic observation. Absence of all
above-mentioned
anions.
6 Action of Con. H2SO4 with Cu It is observed that copy evolution of Nitrate anion is
turnings: reddish brown gas turns acidified present
Mix with a few Cu bits a small ferrous sulfate paper brown.
amount of the salt taken in a test No reddish brown vapours. Absence of
nitrate anion.
tube, add 2 – 3 ccs of H2SO4 and
heat it.
7 Action of Con. H2SO4 with MnO2: A greenish yellow gas turns violet May be chloride
Add an equal amount of MnO2 to a (or) blue starch iodide paper. anion.
small amount of salt in a test tube Reddish brown vapors are obtained May be bromide
that turn moist fluorescent red anion.
and add a few ccs of Con.
paper.
H2SO4 and heat gently. Violet vapors are obtained that turn May be iodide
starch paper blue (or) violet. anion.
No characteristic coloured vapours Absence of all
are obtained. above mentioned
anions.
8 Action of NaOH: It is obtained a colorless gas with a May be
Add a few ccs of 10% NaOH pungent smell that produces dense ammonium ion.
white fumes with a glass rod dipped
solution to a pinch of salt taken in
in HCl.
a test tube and warm it gently.
There is no characteristic gas Absence of
released from ammonium. ammonium.
Sodium Carbonate Extract:

Confirmatory Tests for CO32-, S2–, SO32-, NO2– and CH3COO– anions:

Confirmatory anion testing is carried out using water extract when salt is water-soluble and using sodium
carbonate extract when salt is water-insoluble. Confirmation of CO32– is done using aqueous salt solution or
using solid salt as such, as carbonate ions are contained in the sodium carbonate extract. Extract of water
is produced by dissolving salt in water.

Preparation of Sodium Carbonate Extract:

Take 1 g of salt in a boiling tube or porcelain dish. Mix approximately 3 g of solid sodium carbonate with 15
mL of distilled water. Remove the contents and cook for about 10 minutes. Cool, filter, collect the filtrate in
a test tube and label it as an extract of sodium carbonate.

S.No Experiment Observation Inference

9 Silver nitrate test: Curdy white NH4OH May be chloride

soluble precipitate. anion.
Pale yellow May be
 precipitate in NH4OH bromide anion.
that is sparingly
soluble.
Insoluble yellow May be iodide
precipitation in anion.
Add dilute HNO3 to a portion of the sodium NH4OH.
carbonate extract until the effervescence stops. No characteristics Absence of all
precipitate. above
Add a few drops of AgNO3 solution in excess, 2 – mentioned
3nos. anions.
10 Barium Chloride test: An insoluble white The anion is
Add BaCl2 solution to about one or two ccs of the precipitate in HCl. SO42-
extract (after acetic acid neutralization and A HCl soluble white The anion is
precipitate. SO32-
CO2 boiling). Add dilute hydrochloric acid to a
No characteristics Absence of
portion of the ppt above. precipitate. 2- 2-
SO4 and SO3 .
11 Lead acetate test: White ppt, soluble in Presence of
Add lead acetate solution to about one or two ccs excess of the solution SO42- is
of ammonium confirmed.
of the extract (after acidification with acetic acid,
acetate.
CO2 boiling off and cooling).
12 Ferrous Sulphate Test: At the liquid junction, Nitrate anion
–
(Also called Brown ring test) a brown ring is (NO3 ) is
obtained. present.
Add dilute H2SO4 in drops to about 1 or 2cc of No brown ring formed Nitrate anion
–
extract until the effervescence stops. And a few (NO3 ) is absent.
drops in excess add two to three drops of freshly
prepared FeSO4 solution. Keep in a slanting position
the test tube, add Con. H2SO4 without interfering
with the solution
13 Ferric chloride test: Deep red colouring Acetate anion is
Take the extract in a test tube for about 1 or 2ccs produced. confirmed.
(CH3COO–)
and add a neutral FeCl3 solution. If necessary, filter
and split the solution or filtrate into two parts:
1. Add dil. HCl Red colouring is gone. CH3COO– is
confirmed.
2. Add water and boil to the second part Reddish brown CH3COO– is
precipitate. confirmed.
14 Calcium Chloride Test: A white calcium Confirms the
In a test tube, add dil to a portion of the extract of oxalate precipitate is presence of
obtained. oxalate anion.
sodium carbonate. Boil off CO2 with acetic acid. Add
a few drops of a solution of calcium chloride.
Incorporate dil. HNO3 to the hot and white ppt Precipitate dissolves.
15 Ethyl Acetate Test: There is a pleasant It is confirmed
Add a few drops of ethanol to a pinch of salt taken fruity odor. that anion
acetate is
in a test tube, followed by 1 or 2ccs of H2SO4. Heat
present.
it gently and cool it down. Version Na2CO3.
Observations and Inference:
S.No Anions Observation

1 CO32‒ CO2 gas is evolved with brisk effervescence with dilute sulphuric acid,
which turns lime water milky.
(Carbonate anion)
2 S2‒ (Sulphide anion)Add a drop of solution for sodium nitroprusside. Appears purple or
violet colouring.
2‒
3 SO3 (Sulfite anion) A white precipitate is formed with a barium chloride solution that
dissolves in dilute hydrochloric acid and sulfur dioxide gas also
develops.
2‒
4 SO4 (Sulfate Take 1 mL of salt water extract in water or sodium carbonate and add
anion) BaCl 2 solution after acidification with dilute hydrochloric acid.
Insoluble white precipitate in conc. HCl or HCl. It gets HNO3.
‒
5 NO2 (Nitrite anion) Add a few drops of iodide potassium solution and a few drops of
starch solution, acidify with acetic acid. Blue colour appears.
‒
6 NO3 (Nitrate anion) Take in a test tube 1 mL of salt solution in water. Add a conc of 2 mL.
Mix thoroughly with H2SO4. Cool the mixture under the tap. Add
freshly prepared ferrous sulfate without shaking on the sides of the
test tube. At the junction of the two solutions, a dark brown ring is
formed.
‒
7 Cl (Chloride anion) In a test tube, take 0.1 g of salt, add a pinch of manganese dioxide and
3-4 drops of conc. Acid with sulfuric acid. Heat the mixture of
reactions. Greenish yellow chlorine gas that is detected by its strong
odor and bleaching action
‒
8 Br (Bromide anion) Take 0.1 g of salt in a test tube with a pinch of MnO 2. Add
conc.sulphuric acid and heat with 3-4 drops. There is an evolution of
intense brown fumes.
‒
9 I (Iodide anion) Take in a test tube 1 mL of salt solution in water. Add a conc of 2 mL.
Mix thoroughly with H2SO4. Cool under the tap the mixture. Add
freshly prepared ferrous sulfate without shaking on the sides of the
test tube. At the junction of the two solutions, a dark brown ring is
formed.
3‒
10 PO4 (Phosphate Acidify the extract of sodium carbonate or salt solution in water and
anion) con HNO3 and add solution of ammonium molybdate and heat to boil.
A precipitate canary yellow is formed.
2‒
11 C2O4 (Oxalate Take 1 mL of acetate acidified water extract or sodium carbonate
anion) extract and add a solution of calcium chloride. An insoluble white
precipitate is formed in the solution of ammonium oxalate and oxalic
acid but soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid and diluted nitric acid.
‒
12 CH3COO (Acetate Add 1 mL and 0.2 mL conc of ethanol. Heat and H 2SO4. The presence of
anion) acetate ion is confirmed by fruity odor.

Results:

1. The given salt contains ________ (CO32‒, S2‒, SO32‒, SO42‒, NO2‒, NO3‒, Cl‒, Br‒, I‒, PO43‒, C2O42‒,
CH3COO‒) anion.
Precautions:

1. Read the label carefully on the bottle before using any reagent or chemicals. Never use a reagent
that is unlabeled.
2. Always use an apron, an eye protector and hand gloves in the chemical laboratory.
3. In smelling chemicals or vapors, be careful. Always gently fan the vapors to your nose
4. Do not unnecessarily mix chemicals with reagents. Do not taste chemicals at all.
5. For dilution, always pour acid into water. Never add acid to water.
6. Never add or throw sodium metal into the sink or dustbin.
7. Be careful as the test tube is heated. When heating or adding a reagent, the test tube should never
point to yourself or your neighbors.
8. For dilution, always pour acid into water. Never add acid to water.
9. Keep clean your working environment. Never throw in the sink any papers and glass. For this
purpose, always use dustbin.
10. Be careful with explosive compounds, flammable substances, toxic gasses, electrical appliances,
glass products, flames and hot substances.
11. Always use the minimum quantity of reagents. The use of excessive reagents not only leads to
chemicals being wasted, but also causes environmental damage.
12. Always wash your hands after the laboratory work has been completed.
13. Anions:- (CO3)2–, S2–, (SO3)2–, (SO4)2–, (NO2)–, (SO4)2–, Cl–, Br–, I–, PO43–, (C2O4)2–, CH3COO–, NO3–
14. Q1. What is a radical?
15. Answer. A radical is an atom or group of atoms that carries charge and behaves as if it were a single
unit in chemical reactions.
16. Q2. What are acidic and basic radicals?
17. Answer. Acidic radicals are negatively charged anions. For example, SO42–, NO3–, and so on.
Positively charged cations are basic radicals. For example, Na+, Fe2+, and so on.
18. Q3. Explain the value of preliminary tests in qualitative analysis.
19. Answer. Preliminary tests can sometimes provide accurate information about an ion in salt. The
presence of sodium, for example, is indicated by a golden yellow colour in a flame test. Brown
residue in a charcoal cavity test indicates the presence of cadmium in salt, and so on.
20. Q4. Name the anions detected with the help of dilute H 2SO4?
21. Answer. CO32–, S2–, SO32–, NO2–.
22. Q5. Why is dilute H2SO4 preferred over dilute HCl while testing anions?
23. Answer. When the salt is treated with HCl, HCl gas is produced along with the salt gas during the
reaction. As a result, the actual gas cannot be identified, whereas H2SO4 does not have this
problem.
24. Q6. Why does a lead-containing salt turn black after a long period of time in a laboratory?
25. Answer. Due to the formation of black lead sulphide in the atmosphere as a result of H2S action
26. Q7. Name the anions detected by conc. H2SO4.
27. Answer. Cl–, Br–, I–, NO3–, CH3COO–.
28. Q8. Name the radicals which are confirmed with the help of sodium carbonate extract.
29. Answer. S, Cl–, Br–, I–, PO43–, SO32–, SO42–.
30. Q9. How is sodium carbonate extract prepared?
31. Answer. The salt is combined with double the amount of solid Na2CO3 and approximately 20 ml of
distilled water. It is then boiled until it is reduced to one-third of its original volume and filtered.
The filtrate is either sodium carbonate extract or a mixture of the two (S.E.).
32. Q10. What is water extract?
33. Answer. The given salt or mixture is thoroughly shaken with distilled water before being filtered.
The filtrate is either the water extract or a mixture of the two (W.E.).
34. Q11. What is lime water and what happens on passing carbon dioxide gas through it?
35. Answer. Lime water is a solution of Ca(OH)2 in water. Carbon dioxide reacts with limewater (a
calcium hydroxide solution, Ca(OH)2 to form a white precipitate (a milky precipitate) of calcium
carbonate, CaCO3.
36. Q12. Carbon dioxide gas and sulphur dioxide gas both turn lime water milky. How will you
distinguish between the two?
37. Answer. Both the solution will be passed through a solution of acidified K2Cr2O7.
38. SO2 causes K2Cr2O7 to turn green, whereas CO2 has no effect.
39. Q13. How will you test the presence of carbonate ions?
40. Answer. Using dil. H2SO4, treat a small portion of the mixture. CO2 gas is produced. The gas
becomes milky after passing through lime water.
41. Q14. CO2 and Br2 are both brown in colour. How are you going to tell them apart?
42. Answer. On passing both the solutions through a FeSO4 filter.
43. CO2 darkens FeSO4 solution whereas Br2 has no effect.
44. Q15. What is lime water?
45. Answer. Lime water is a solution of Ca(OH)2 in water.
46. Q16. What happens if too much CO2 is passed through lime water?
47. Answer. Because the white ppt. of CaCO3 dissolves into soluble calcium bicarbonate, the milkiness
disappears.
48. CaCO3 + CO2 +H2O → Ca(HCO3)2
49. Q17. How do you test for sulphide?
50. Answer. Warm the salt with a small amount of H2SO4. H2S gas is formed. It blackens paper that has
been dipped in lead acetate.
51. Na2S +2HCl → 2NaCl +H2S
52. Pb(CH3COO)2 +H2S → PbS + 2CH3COOH
53. Q18. Is there another gas besides CO2 that causes lime water to turn milky?
54. Answer. It is, indeed, SO2 gas.
55. Q19. On heating with a cone, all nitrates are released. In the presence of a paper pallet,
H2SO4 produces NO2 gas.
56. Answer. HNO3 is reduced to NO2 by using a carbon-based paper pallet.
57. Q20. How will you determine whether the solution in the bottle is lime water?
58. Answer. Fill a test tube with 2 ml of the solution and blow into it with a glass tubing. The presence
of milkiness indicates that the solution is lime water.
59. Q21. How is the ring test for nitrates carried out?
60. Answer. Freshly prepared ferrous sulphate solution is added to the salt solution, followed by
concentrated sulphuric acid along the tube walls. At the intersection of the two solutions, a dark
brown ring forms.
61. Q22. What is the composition of the dark brown ring which is formed at the junction of two
layers in the ring test for nitrates?
62. Answer. A brown ring is typically formed at the interface of sulphuric acid and ferrous sulphate.
This ring indicates that nitrates are present in the given solution. The brown ring test, also known as
the nitrate test, is a reduction reaction. Ferrous (II) reduces the nitrate to nitric oxide, which is then
oxidised to ferrous (III).
63. Q23. In the ring test for nitrates, why does a dark brown ring form at the junction of two layers?
64. Answer. Since H2S04 is heavier and reacts with a small amount of nitrate and FeSO4 at its surface, a
brown ring appears only at the junction of the two layers.
65. Q24. What is the chromyl chloride test?
66. Answer. Heat a small portion of the mixture with a cone. In a dry test tube, combine H 2SO4 and
solid K2Cr2O7. Chromyl chloride vapours of a deep brownish-red colour are formed. Pass these
vapours through the water. H2CrO4 yellow solution is formed. When NaOH, acetic acid, and lead
acetate are added to this solution, a yellow ppt. confirms the presence of chloride in the mixture.
67. Q25. What is the chemistry behind the carbon disulphide test for bromide or iodide?
68. Answer. Add dil. HCl to a portion of the soda extract. Now, add a small amount of CS 2 and an excess
of chlorine water to this and thoroughly shake the solution. Chlorine removes bromine or iodine
from bromide or iodide, which then dissolves in carbon disulphide to produce orange or violet
colouration.
69. Q26. Why do bromides and iodides not give tests similar to chromyl chloride tests?
70. Answer. Since chromyl bromide (CrO2Br2) and chromyl iodide (CrO2I2) compounds are not formed,
bromine and iodine are evolved in their place.
71. Q27. Describe the layer test for bromide and iodide ions.
72. Answer. The Layer’s test is performed in the presence of ‘dilute hydrochloric acid’ and ‘carbon
disulphide.’ In the presence of bromide ions, this results in an orange layer, whereas in the
presence of iodide ions, a violet layer forms. The layer’s test is used to confirm the presence of
halogens in a mixture.
73. Q28. Why is silver nitrate solution stored in dark coloured bottles?
74. Answer. Silver nitrate decomposes when exposed to sunlight; therefore, silver nitrate is stored in
brown bottles to prevent decomposition. Brown bottles cut the passage of light through them.
75. Q29. How do you test the presence of sulphide ions?
76. Answer. The reaction of hydrogen sulphide gas with warm dilute H2SO4 a sulphide produces
hydrogen sulphide gas, which smells like rotten eggs. When exposed to the gas, a piece of filter
paper dipped in lead acetate solution turns black due to the formation of lead sulphide, which is
black in colour.
77. Q30. Why does iodine give a blue colour with the starch solution?
78. Answer. The blue colour is caused by iodine’s physical adsorption on starch.
79. Download Class 12 Chemistry Viva questions on Determination of Anions in a Given Salt by
clicking on the button below.
GENERAL PROCEDURE for THE
SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS OF A SIMPLE
SALT
I. PRELIMINARY TESTS
S. EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
No.
1 SOLUBILITY 1) Soluble 1) May be Sulphate,
Nitrate,
A little of the salt is shaken Chloride or Ammoniu
with water. m Carbonate.
 2) Insoluble 2) May be Carbonate
or Sulphide.

2 ACTION OF HEAT: 1) Colourless, 1) May be Carbonate.

odourless gas
A small amount of the salt turning Lime water
is heated gently in a dry test milky.
tube. 2) Decripitation occ 2) May be Nitrate.
urs with evolution
of reddish
brown gas.

3) Salt 3) May
sublimes with be Ammonium.
evolution
of pungent smelling
gas giving dense
white fumes with a
glass rod dipped
in conc HCl.
4) The white salt 4) May be Zinc.
turns yellow on
heating.
5) No characteristic 5) Absence of
change. Carbonate, Nitrate,
Ammonium and Zinc.
3 FLAME TEST: 1) Bluish colour 1) Presence
flame. of Copper.
A small amount of the salt is 2) Brick red flame. 2) Presence
made into a paste with conc. of Calcium.
HCl in a watch glass and
introduced into the non- 3) Grassy 3) Presence of Barium.
luminous part of the Bunsen green flame.
flame. 4) No characteristic 4) Absence of Copper,
coloured flame. Calcium and Barium.

4 ASH TEST: 1) Green ash. 1) Presence of Zinc.

A filter paper is soaked into a

paste of the salt
2) Blue ash. 2) Presence
with conc. HCl / HNO3 and Co
of Aluminium.
balt Nitrate solution in a
watch glass and burnt. 3) Pink ash. 3) Presence
of Magnesium.
4) No characteristic 4) Absence of Zinc,
coloured ash. Aluminium and
Magnesium.

II. TESTS FOR ACID RADICALS

5 ACTION OF DIL HCl 1) Brisk effervescence of 1) Carbonate is
colourless, confirmed.
To a small amount of dilute odourless gas turning
HCl the salt is added. Lime water milky.

2) Rotten egg smelling 2) Sulphide is

gas turning Lead acetate confirmed.
paper black.

3) No characteristic 3) Absence of
change. Sulphide and
Carbonate.
6 COPPER TURNINGS TEST: 1) Reddish brown gas is 1) Presence
evolved. of Nitrate.
A small amount of the salt is
heated with Copper
Turnings / Filter paper
ball and a few drops of conc.
Sulphuric acid.
2) No reddish brown gas 2) Absence of Nitrate.
is evolved.

7 CHROMYL CHLORIDE TEST: 1) Red 1) Chloride is

orange vapours evolved confirmed.
To a small amount of are passed through
the salt a pinch of Potassium water to get a yellow
Dichromate is added and solution, which on
heated with few drops adding Lead
of conc. Sulphuric acid. acetate forms
a yellow precipitate.

2) No Red orange 2) Absence of

vapours. chloride.
 8 ACTION OF NaOH: 1) Pungent smelling 1) Presence
gas forming dense of Ammonium.
A small amount of the salt is white fumes with a
heated with Sodium glass rod dipped in conc.
Hydroxide. HCl and also turns red
Litmus paper blue.

2) No pungent smelling 2) Absence of

gas. Ammonium.

III. TESTS WITH SODIUM CARBONATE EXTRACT

9. PREPARATION OF SODIUM CARBONATE EXTRACT:
A small amount of salt is mixed with twice the amount of sodium carbonate and 20ml of distilled water is added,
boiled for 10 minutes, cooled and filtered. The filtrate is called “SODIUM CARBONATE EXTRACT”.
S. EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
No
10 BARIUM CHLORIDE TEST: 1) A white precipitate, 1) Sulphate is
insoluble in conc. HCl. confirmed.
To a few drops of the
extract, dilute Hydrochloric
Acid is added until the 2) No white precipitate. 2) Absence of
effervescence ceases and 2 Sulphate
ml of Barium
chloride solution is added.
11 SILVER NITRATE TEST: 1) A curdy white 1) Presence
precipitate, soluble in of Chloride.
To a few drops of the excess of Ammonium
extract dilute Nitric Acid is hydroxide.
added until the
effervescence ceases and 2
ml of Silver Nitrate solution
is added. 2) A black precipitate. 2) Presence
of Sulphide.
3) No precipitate. 3) Absence of
chloride/ sulphide.

12 BROWN RING TEST: 1) Brown ring is formed 1) Nitrate is

at the junction of the confirmed.
To a few drops of two layers.
extract dilute Sulphuric
acid is added until the
 effervescence ceases,
then freshly
prepared FeSO4 is added and
then conctrated Sulphuric
acid is added drop by drop
along the sides of the test
tube.
2) No brown ring. 2) Absence of Nitrate.

IV. IDENTIFICATION OF THE BASIC RADICALS

13. PREPARATION OF ORIGINAL SOLUTION:
The original solution is prepared by dissolving the salt in_______________#
# Water (When the salt is water soluble)
# Dil. HCl or Dil. HNO3 (When the salt is water insoluble)
14. GROUP IDENTIFICATION
S. EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
N
o
1 To a few drops of the 1) White precipitate. 1) Presence of First
original solution 2 ml Group. (Lead).
of dilute HCl is added.
2) No characteristic 2) Absence of First Group
precipitate. (Lead).

2 To a few drops of the 1) Black precipitate. 1) Presence of Second

original solution 2 ml Group (Copper).
of dilute HCl is
added and H2S gas is 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Second
passed. precipitate. Group (Copper).

3 To a few drops of the 1) Gelatinous 1) Presence of Third

original solution 1 white precipitate. Group (Aluminium).
ml NH4Cl and 2
ml NH4OH solutions are 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Third Group
added. precipitate. (Aluminium).

4 To a few drops of the 1) Dirty 1) Presence of Fourth

original solution 1 white precipitate. Group (Zinc).
ml NH4Cl and 2
ml NH4OH solutions are 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Fourth Group
added and H2S gas is precipitate. (Zinc).
passed.
5 To a few drops of the 1) White precipitate. 1) Presence of Fifth
original solution 1 Group (Calcium or Barium)
ml NH4Cl, 2 .
ml NH4OH and 2
ml (NH4)2CO3 solutions 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Fifth Group
are added. precipitate. (Calcium and Barium).

6 To a few drops of the 1) White precipitate. 1) Presence of Sixth Group

original solution 1 (Magnesium).
ml NH4Cl, 2
 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Sixth Group
precipitate. (Magnesium).
ml NH4OH and 2 ml Di
Sodium

V. CONFIRMATORY TESTS FOR BASIC RADICALS

S. EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
No
TEST FOR AMMONIUM
1 To a few drops of the Reddish Ammonium is
original solution Sodium brown precipitate. confirmed.
Hydroxide and Nessler’s
reagent are added.
First group - LEAD
1 To a few drops of the Yellow precipitate. Lead is confirmed.
original solution Potassium
Chromate is added.
2 To a few drops of the Yellow precipitate soluble Lead is confirmed.
original solution Potassium in hot water which
Iodide is added. reappears as golden
yellow spangles on
cooling.

Third group - ALUMINIUM

1 To a few drops of the White precipitate Aluminium is
original solution Sodium soluble in excess of confirmed.
Hydroxide is added in drops Sodium hydroxide.
to excess.
2 To a few drops of the A bright red lake. Aluminium is
original solution Ammonium confirmed.
Hydroxide and Aluminon
reagent are added.
Fourth group - ZINC
1 To a few drops of the White precipitate Zinc is confirmed.
original solution Sodium soluble in excess of
Hydroxide is added in drops Sodium hydroxide.
to excess.
2 To a few drops of the White Zinc is
original solution Potassium precipitate soluble in confirmed.
Ferro cyanide is added. excess of Sodium
hydroxide & insoluble in
dilute acid.
Fifth group - CALCIUM
1 To a few drops of the No precipitate. Calcium is
original solution Potassium confirmed.
Chromate is added.
2 To a few drops of the White Calcium is
original solution Ammonium precipitate insoluble in confirmed.
Hydroxide and Ammonium Acetic acid.
Oxalate are added.
Fifth group - BARIUM
 1 To a few drops of the Yellow precipitate, Barium is
original solution Potassium soluble in acid. confirmed.
Chromate is added.
2 To a few drops of the White precipitate Barium is
original solution Dilute insoluble in Acetic acid. confirmed.
Sulphuric Acid is added.
Sixth group - MAGNESIUM
1 To a few drops of the White precipitate, Magnesium
original solution Sodium insoluble in excess of is confirmed.
Hydroxide is added in drops Sodium hydroxide.
to excess.
2 To a few drops of the Blue precipitate. Magnesium is
original solution Magneson confirmed.
reagent is added.

--4--
Brown ring test :
A dark brown ring is
formed at the junction
of two liquids.
Presence of Nitrate
is confirmed.
To a small amount of salt
solution add freshly
prepared FeSO4 solution
&
then add conc. H2SO4
along the sides of the test
tube.
Ferric chloride test:
To a small amount of
salt solution add a few
drops of
neutral FeCl3 solution
Deep red colouration is
produced which
disappears on adding
dil.
HCl
-
Presence of CH3COO
is confirmed
Brisk effervescence test:
a) Add dil. H2SO4 to the
salt solution and pass
the gas evolved
through lime water
b) Keep passing the gas
for long
a) Brisk
effervescence with
evolution of CO2
turns lime water
milky
b) Milkiness
is
disappear
ed
Presence of carbonate
is confirmed
IV. IDENTIFICATION OF
BASIC RADICAL
Zero Group :
a) A pungent smelling
gas which gives dense
white fumes with a
glass rod dipped in
conc. Hcl is evolved
b) No
characteristic
change.
a) Presence of ammonium
b) Absence of ammonium.
To a small amount of salt,
add NaOH solution and
warmed.
PREPARATION OF ORIGINAL
SOLUTION
To a small amount of the
salt, add distilled water and
shake well. The clear
solution
obtained is known as
'original solution'
IV. GROUP SEPARATION
I. Group :
a) A white precipitate is
obtained.
b) No white precipitate is
obtained.
a) Presence of I
group (Lead).
b) Absence of I group.
1. To a small amount
of
original solution, add dil
HCl.
2. To a small amount
of
original solution, add dil.
HCl & sodium sulphide.
a) A black precipitate is
obtained.
b) No black precipitate is
obtained.
a) Presence of II
group (Copper).
b) Absence of II group.
3. To a small amount
of
original solution, add
ammonium chloride &
ammonium hydroxide.
a) A gelatinous white
precipitate is
obtained.
b) Reddish brown
a) Presence of III
group
(Aluminium)
b) Presence of III
precipitate is
obtained
c) No characteristic
precipitate is
obtained.
group ( Ferric)
c) Absence of III group.