HWA CHONG INSTITUTION
Sec 3 IP
Chemistry
Salt Preparation
Name: ( ) Class: Date:
Types of Salts: Soluble and Insoluble Salts
Compound Solubility in water
Group I and All are soluble
ammonium salts
Nitrate salts All are soluble
Ethanoate salts All are soluble
Chloride salts All are soluble except AgCl,
PbCl2
Sulfate salts All are soluble except BaSO4,
PbSO4, Ag2SO4 and CaSO4
Carbonate salts All are insoluble except Group
I carbonate and ammonium
carbonate
Metal oxides All are insoluble except Group
I oxides and CaO
Metal hydroxides All are insoluble except Group
I hydroxides, Ca(OH)2,
Ba(OH)2
Lead(II) salts All are insoluble except
Pb(NO3)2 and Pb(CH3COO)2
1
Method for Preparation of Salts
o The nature of the salt (soluble or insoluble) must be determined first before the
appropriate method can be used.
SALTS
Soluble Insoluble
Must use the reaction of acids: Methods: Precipitation
1. Acid + metal (displacement)
2. Acid + base (Neutralisation) Both reactants must be soluble.
3. Acid + carbonate
e.g.: AgNO3(aq) + HCl (aq)
Method 1: Filtration
To prepare soluble salts other
than Group I and NH4+ salt.
Use reaction of acids: Metal such as Group I metals, Ca and
Acid + metal (insoluble) Mg should not be used to prepare salts as
Acid + insoluble base they are highly reactive.
Acid + insoluble carbonate
Insoluble in water
e.g.: CuO(s) + HCl (aq)
Method 2: Titration
To prepare Group I and ammonium
salts.
Use Neutralisation reaction
(Acid + Alkali)
e.g: NaOH(aq) + HCl (aq)
o The soluble salts prepared by filtration or titration can be purified by physical
methods such as crystallization.
o The insoluble salt can be purified by washing with cold water and let it dry.
2
Preparation of Soluble Salts
1. Filtration method
To prepare soluble salts other than Group I and ammonium.
Use the reactions of acids:
o Neutralisation reaction (acid + insoluble base)
o Acid + metals (insoluble)
o Acid + insoluble carbonate
Insoluble reactant must be added in excess into acid. It is removed by
filtration after the reaction has stopped.
E.g.: preparation of copper(II) sulfate
o Reactants: Copper(II) oxide (or carbonate) and sulfuric acid.
o Steps:
Warm (not boil) the sulfuric acid.
Copper(II) oxide is added in excess to a fixed volume of dilute
sulfuric acid to make sure all acid is used up in the reaction (so that
the salt is free from the contamination of acid).
Filter the solution to remove the excess copper(II) oxide from the
blue copper(II) sulfate solution.
Heat to evaporate the filtrate to get a hot saturated solution.
Let the solution cool so that copper(II) sulfate crystals can be
formed.
Filter the mixture to get the crystals as residue.
Dry the crystals between sheets of filter papers.
3
2. Titration method
Used to prepare Group I and ammonium salts.
Use neutralisation reaction (acid + alkali): Cannot use insoluble base
E.g.: preparation of sodium chloride.
Thing to consider:
Reactants: sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid.
Steps:
Potassium
hydroxide
Potassium
solution
chloride
solution
25.0 cm3 of dilute
hydrochloric acid and
phenolphthalein
o Use a pipette to draw an accurate fixed volume of hydrochloric acid to a conical
flask.
o Add 2 to 3 drops of phenolphthalein into the flask.
o Titrate, drop by drop, the alkali from the burette into the acid. Swirl the solution
each time potassium hydroxide is added to it.
o When the first appearance of pink colour observed in the solution, stop the
titration and note the volume of potassium hydroxide used.
o Repeat the experiment using the exact volume of hydrochloric acid and
potassium hydroxide from the first experiment without the indicator (so that the
salt is free from the contamination of indicator).
o The salt solution is heated until saturated.
o The saturated solution is allowed to cool so that crystals of sodium chloride can
be formed.
o Filter the mixture to get the crystals as residue.
o Dry the crystals between sheets of filter papers.
4
Preparation of Insoluble Salt:
Precipitation method
Both reactants must be soluble: One of the reactants must be a soluble salt; the
other one can be a soluble salt or an acid:
o Soluble salt + soluble salt insoluble salt + soluble salt
o Soluble salt + dilute acid insoluble salt + dilute acid
E.g.: preparation of lead(II) iodide
o Pb(NO3)2 (aq) + 2 KI (aq) PbI2 (s) + 2 KNO3 (aq)
Steps:
o Add dilute potassium iodide to a beaker containing lead(II) nitrate.
o Stir the solution. A yellow precipitate of lead(II) iodide is formed.
o Filter the mixture to get the precipitate as residue, wash with deionised
water and dry it between sheets of filter papers.
2 soluble reactants should be used to prepare
insoluble salts
This is to prevent the formation of insoluble coating around the insoluble
reactant used.
5
Why can’t we use reactions of acids to prepare insoluble salts?
Example 1: sulfuric acid and calcium carbonate to prepare calcium sulfate
CaCO3(s) + H2SO4(aq) CaSO4(s)+ CO2(g) +H2O (l)
CaSO4 coating
H2SO4 (aq) around CaCO3
CaCO3
CaCO3
particle
particle
Reason:
Calcium sulfate, which is insoluble, will form a protective coating around
the insoluble calcium carbonate and hence prevent further reaction.
Example 2: Hydrochloric acid and lead to prepare lead(II) chloride
Pb (s) + 2 HCl (aq) PbCl2 (s) + H2 (g)
HCl (aq)
PbCl2 coating
Pb metal
around Pb metal
Reason:
Lead(II) sulfate, which is insoluble, will form a protective coating around
the insoluble lead metal and hence prevent further reaction.
