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, Chloride or
A little of the salt is Ammonium
shaken with water. Carbonate.

2) Insoluble 2) May be
Carbonate or
Sulphide.
2 ACTION OF HEAT: 1) Colourless, odourless 1) May be
gas turning Lime water Carbonate.
A small amount of the milky.
salt is heated gently in
a dry test tube. 2) Decripitation occurs 2) May be Nitrate.
with evolution of
reddish brown gas.

3) Salt sublimes with 3) May be

evolution of pungent Ammonium.
smelling gas giving
dense white fumes with
a glass rod dipped in
conc HCl.

4) The white salt turns 4) May be Zinc.

yellow on heating.

5) No characteristic 5) Absence of
change. Carbonate,
Nitrate,
Ammonium and
Zinc.
3 FLAME TEST: 1) Bluish colour flame. 1) Presence of
Copper.
A small amount of the 2) Brick red flame. 2) Presence of
salt is made into a Calcium.
 paste with conc. HCl in 3) Grassy green flame. 3) Presence of
a watch glass and Barium.
introduced into the non-
4) No characteristic 4) Absence of
luminous part of the
coloured flame. Copper, Calcium
Bunsen flame.
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 of
with conc. HCl / HNO3
Aluminium.
and Cobalt Nitrate
solution in a watch 3) Pink ash. 3) Presence of
glass and burnt. 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 1) Carbonate is
effervescence of confirmed.
To a small amount of colourless, odourless
dilute HCl the salt is gas turning Lime
added. water milky.

2) Rotten egg 2) Sulphide is

smelling gas turning confirmed.
Lead acetate paper
black.

3) No characteristic 3) Absence of
change. Sulphide and
Carbonate.
6 COPPER TURNINGS 1) Reddish brown gas 1) Presence of
TEST: is evolved. 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 2) Absence of
gas is evolved. Nitrate.

7 CHROMYL CHLORIDE 1) Red orange 1) Chloride is

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

2) No Red orange 2) Absence of

vapours. chloride.

8 ACTION OF NaOH: 1) Pungent smelling 1) Presence of

gas forming dense Ammonium.
A small amount of the salt white fumes with a
is heated with Sodium glass rod dipped in
Hydroxide. conc. HCl and also
turns red Litmus
paper blue.

2) No pungent 2) Absence of
smelling 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 1) A white precipitate, 1) Sulphate is
TEST: insoluble in conc. HCl. confirmed.

To a few drops of the

extract, dilute
Hydrochloric Acid is 2) No white 2) Absence of
added until the precipitate. Sulphate
effervescence ceases
and 2 ml of Barium
chloride solution is
added.
11 SILVER NITRATE TEST: 1) A curdy white 1) Presence of
precipitate, soluble in Chloride.
To a few drops of the excess of Ammonium
extract dilute Nitric Acid hydroxide.
is 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 1) Nitrate is

formed at the junction confirmed.
To a few drops of extract of the two layers.
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

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)
13. PREPARATION OF ORIGINAL SOLUTION:
14. GROUP IDENTIFICATION

S. EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE

No
1 To a few drops of the 1) White precipitate. 1) Presence of First
original solution 2 ml of Group. (Lead).
dilute HCl is added.
2) No characteristic 2) Absence of First
precipitate. Group (Lead).

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

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

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

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

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

original solution 1 ml precipitate. Group (Zinc).
NH4Cl and 2 ml NH4OH
solutions are added and 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Fourth
H2S gas is passed. precipitate. Group (Zinc).

5 To a few drops of the 1) White precipitate. 1) Presence of Fifth

original solution 1 ml Group (Calcium or
NH4Cl, 2 ml NH4OH and Barium).
2 ml (NH4)2CO3
solutions are added. 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Fifth
precipitate. Group (Calcium and
Barium).
6 To a few drops of the 1) White precipitate. 1) Presence of Sixth
original solution 1 ml Group (Magnesium).
NH4Cl, 2 ml NH4OH and
2 ml Di Sodium
Hydrogen Phosphate
are added. 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Sixth
precipitate. Group (Magnesium).
 V. CONFIRMATORY TESTS FOR BASIC RADICALS

S. EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE

No
TEST FOR AMMONIUM
1 To a few drops of the Reddish brown Ammonium is
original solution Sodium 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 Lead is confirmed.
original solution soluble in hot water
Potassium Iodide is which reappears as
added. 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 Sodium hydroxide.
drops to excess.
2 To a few drops of the A bright red lake. Aluminium is
original solution confirmed.
Ammonium 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 Sodium hydroxide.
drops to excess.
2 To a few drops of the White precipitate Zinc is
original solution soluble in excess of confirmed.
Potassium Ferro cyanide Sodium hydroxide &
is added. insoluble in dilute
acid.
Fifth group - CALCIUM
1 To a few drops of the No precipitate. Calcium is
original solution confirmed.
Potassium Chromate is
added.
 2 To a few drops of the White precipitate Calcium is
original solution insoluble in Acetic confirmed.
Ammonium Hydroxide acid.
and Ammonium Oxalate
are added.
Fifth group - BARIUM
1 To a few drops of the Yellow precipitate, Barium is
original solution soluble in acid. confirmed.
Potassium Chromate is
added.
2 To a few drops of the White precipitate Barium is
original solution Dilute insoluble in Acetic confirmed.
Sulphuric Acid is added. acid.
Sixth group - MAGNESIUM
1 To a few drops of the White precipitate, Magnesium is
original solution Sodium insoluble in excess of confirmed.
Hydroxide is added in Sodium hydroxide.
drops to excess.
2 To a few drops of the Blue precipitate. Magnesium is
original solution confirmed.
Magneson reagent is
added.
** Colourless salts only be given for practicals. Points expected in the practical exam.
alone posted here.
RESULT
The given simple salt contains
1. Basic Radical : __________________
2. Acid Radical : __________________

The given simple salt is : ____________________________________