GENERAL PROCEDURE FOR THE SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS OF A SIMPLE SALT

PRELIMINARY TESTS
S.no EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
1 Colour and Appearance colourless Absence of copper,
iron, nickel, cobalt
Crystalline May be sulphate,
nitrate or chloride

2. A little of the salt is shaken Soluble May be sulphate,

with water. nitrate or chloride

Insoluble May be carbonate or

sulphide
3. ACTION OF HEAT: Colourless , May be carbonate
A small amount of the salt odourless turning
is heated gently in a dry test tube. lime water milky

Reddish brown May be nitrate

vapours evolved.

Salt sublimes with May be Ammonium

the evolution of
pungent smelling
gas giving dense
white fumes with
glass rod dipped in
con HCl.

The salt turns yellow May be zinc

on heating

No characteristic Absence of
change carbonate, nitrate,
ammonium and zinc

4. FLAME TEST: Bluish colour flame Presence of copper

A small amount of the salt is made
into a paste with conc. HCl in a Brick red colour Presence of calcium
watch glass and introduced into the flame
non-luminous part of the Bunsen
flame. Grassy green colour Presence of Barium
flame

No characteristic Absence of copper

change calcium and barium
 II TESTS FOR ACID RADICALS

S.no EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE

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

Rotten egg smelling Presence of Sulphide

gas turning lead is confirmed
acetate paper black

No Characteristic Absence of
change Carbonate and
sulphide

6. CHROMYL CHLORIDE TEST: Red orange vapours Presence of chloride

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

No red orange Absence of chloride

vapours

7. ACTION OF NaOH: Pungent smelling Presence of

A small amount of the salt is heated gas forming dense ammonium
with sodium hydroxide. white fumes with a
glass rod dipped in
conc. HCl and also
turns red litmus
paper blue.

No characteristic Absence of
change. ammonium

III TESTS WITH SODIUM CARBONATE EXTRACT

8.PREPARATION OF SODIUM CARBONATE EXTRACT:

A small amount of salt is mixed with twice the amount of sodium carbonate and 20 ml of
distilled water is added and boiled for 10 minutes, cooled and filtered. The filtrate is called
“sodium carbonate extract”
 S.no EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
8. BARIUM CHLORIDE TEST: A white precipitate, Presence of sulphate is
To a few drops of the extract, dilute insoluble in conc. HCl. confirmed.
hydrochloric acid is added until the
effervescence ceases and 2 ml of
barium chloride solution is added. No white precipitate Absence of Sulphate
9. SILVER NITRATE TEST: A curdy white precipitate, Presence of Chloride.
To a few drops of the extract dilute soluble in excess of
nitric acid is added until the ammonium hydroxide.
effervescence ceases and 2 ml of
silver nitrate solution is added. A black precipitate. Presence of sulphide.

No precipitate Absence of chloride and

sulphide.
10.
BROWN RING TEST: Brown ring is formed at Nitrate is confirmed.
To a few drops of extract dilute the junction of the two
sulphuric acid is added until the layers.
effervescence ceases, then freshly
prepared FeSO4 is added and then
concentrated sulphuric acid is added No brown ring formation Absence of Nitrate.
drop by drop along the sides of the
test tube.

IV. IDENTIFICATION OF THE BASIC RADICALS

11.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)
12.GROUP IDENTIFICATION
S.no EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
1. To a few drops of the original White precipitate. Presence of I Group. (Lead).
solution 2 ml of dilute HCl is
added. No characteristic Absence of I group
precipitate

2. To a few drops of the original Black precipitate Presence of II group(copper)

solution 2 ml of dilute HCl is
added and H2S gas is passed. No characteristic
precipitate Absence of II group

3. To a few drops of the original Gelatinous Presence of III

solution 1ml NH4Cl and 2 ml White precipitate. Group (Aluminium).
NH4OH solutions are added.
No characteristic Absence of III group
precipitate
S.no EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
4. To a few drops of the original Dirty white precipitate. Presence of IV group (zinc)
solution 1ml of NH4Cl and 2 ml
of NH4OH solutions are added
and H2S gas is passed. No characteristic Absence of IV group
precipitate
5. To a few drops of the original White precipitate. Presence of V group (Barium
solution 1ml of NH4Cl, 2ml of or calcium)
NH4OH and 2 ml of (NH4)2CO3
solutions are added. No characteristic
Absence of V group
precipitate
6. To a few drops of the original White precipitate. Presence of VI Group
solution 1ml of NH 4Cl, 2 ml of (Magnesium).
NH4OH and 2 ml di sodium
hydrogen phosphate is added. No characteristic
Absence of VI group
precipitate.

V. CONFIRMATORY TESTS FOR BASIC RADICALS

S.no EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
TEST FOR AMMONIUM (ZERO GROUP)
1. To a few drops of the original Reddish Ammonium is
solution Sodium Hydroxide and Brown precipitate. confirmed.
Nessler’s reagent is added.
FIRST GROUP- LEAD
1. To a few drops of the original Yellow precipitate. Lead is confirmed
Solution Potassium
Chromate is added.

To a few drops of the original Yellow precipitate soluble Lead is confirmed.

2. solution potassium iodide is in hot water and reappears
added. as golden yellow spangles
on cooling.

THIRD GROUP - ALUMINIUM

1. To a few drops of the original White precipitate Aluminium is

solution Sodium Hydroxide is soluble in excess of confirmed.
added in drops to excess. Sodium hydroxide.

To a few drops of the original A bright red lake Aluminium is

2. Solution ammonium hydroxide confirmed.
and Aluminon reagent is added.
 FOURTH GROUP - ZINC

1. To a few drops of the original White precipitate Zinc is confirmed.

solution Sodium Hydroxide is soluble in excess of
added in drops to excess. Sodium hydroxide.

To a few drops of the original White precipitate soluble Zinc is confirmed.

Solution Potassium Ferro in excess of sodium
2. Cyanide is added. hydroxide &insoluble in
dilute acid.

FIFTH GROUP - CALCIUM

1. To a few drops of the original No precipitate Calcium is confirmed.

solution potassium chromate is
added.
2. To a few drops of the original White Precipitate insoluble Calcium is confirmed.
Solution ammonium in Acetic acid.
hydroxide and ammonium
oxalate is added.
FIFTH GROUP - BARIUM

1. To a few drops of the original Yellow precipitate, Barium is confirmed.

Solution Potassium soluble in acid.
Chromate is added.
2. To a few drops of the original White precipitate Barium is confirmed
solution Dilute Sulphuric insoluble in Acetic acid.
Acid is added.
SIXTH GROUP - MAGNESIUM
1. To a few drops of the original White precipitate, Magnesium is confirmed.
solution Sodium insoluble in excess of
Hydroxide is added in drops Sodium hydroxide.
to excess.
2. To a few drops of the original Blue precipitate. Magnesium is confirmed.
Solution Magneson
reagent is added.
RESULT

The given simple salt contains

1.Basic Radical:
2.Acid Radical:
The given simple salt is: