Experiment 2: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion

Jirov A. Advincula, Adriel Noel R. Andonaque, Czariss Dale Grace A. Bedoya

Group 1, Chemistry 33 – LB5A Date Performed: September 20, 2019
Sir Aaron Noel P. Genato Date Submitted: October 11, 2019

Abstract
The determination of the presence of nitrogen, sulfur, and halogens in different organic
compounds cannot be done while these compounds are in their organic forms, but is possible if
these were converted into their inorganic anions which will bind with a cation. In this particular
qualitative analysis designed by Jean Louis Lassaigne, sodium was used to isolate these
elements from their covalence with carbon chains. Sodium fusion of p-chloroaniline, sulfanilic
acid, chlorobenzene and unknown compounds were separately conducted, and each extract was
tested for the presence of sulfur, nitrogen, and halogens. Positive and negative results for each
sample were deduced after observation of changes in color of the solution and appearance of
precipitate. The presence of nitrogen and the halogen chlorine was confirmed for p-chloroaniline.
Sulfanilic acid tested positive for both sulfur and nitrogen, while chlorobenzene tested positive
for chlorine. Thus, elemental analysis on p-chloroaniline, chlorobenzene, and sulfanilic acid
confirmed the presence of sulfur, nitrogen, and halogens, and the compositions of the set of
unknowns were partially revealed.

Keywords: qualitative analysis, sodium fusion, Lassaigne’s extract, sulfur, nitrogen, halogens

I. Introduction (Henssonow et al., 2010). Lassaigne started this

The significance of elemental analysis in the field
of organic chemistry has played a vital role in
determining the composition of certain
compounds, whether it be confirmatory or
completely exploratory to of some of unknown
(Gabbai et al., 2016). It can be done in two ways:
qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative
approach ascertains the presence of particular
elements, but the percent amount (usually in
percent weight) is done quantitatively (Barron &
Raja, 2019). For instance, according to Borje and
Hall (2001), in determining the amount of carbon
and hydrogen in an organic compound, these are
converted to carbon dioxide and water through
combustion followed by a quantitative analysis of
the latter compound. In the field of a more
advanced technological analysis, most common
techniques used in laboratories today are X-ray
fluorescence (XRF), absorption atomic
spectroscopy (AAS), and inductively coupled
plasma (ICP) techniques (Bozic, 2019).
However, the experiment was only limited to
qualitative analysis, which was specifically done
through Lassaigne’s test, considered to be the
most efficient method in laboratories (Criddle and
Ellis, 1967). Also known as the sodium fusion
test, this particular experimental setup is named
after its developer, Jean Louis Lassaigne
discovery with the detection of nitrogen from
samples of small quantities. He has observed
that chemists before used to determine the
presence of nitrogen in several reactions through
isolating the proper substances in the gaseous
state. By burning the gas, nitrogen is transformed
into ammonia, which is easily identified but not in
minimal amounts of the substance.
In Lassaigne's fusion experiment of nitrogen-
containing organic compound and potassium
produced potassium cyanide, he discovered that
in the presence of ferrous-ferric salt, the
precipitate was green blue or yellow and after a
few drops of HCl, the precipitate turned blue. He
continued his experiment with other nitrogen-
containing organic compounds in small
quantities. Using the same method of fusion and
the addition of ferrous-ferric sulfate followed by a
drop of HCl, the presence of nitrogen was
indicated by the formation of a deep blue solution
(Wisniak, 2014). However, it was Jacobsen in
1897 who replaced potassium with sodium as the
active reagent since sodium is a stronger
reducing agent than potassium (Gower &
Rhodes, 1969). This fusion method was then
developed by other scientists to detect other
elements such as halogens and sulfur (Wisniak,
2014). Other elements, aside from nitrogen,
sulfur and halogens, are usually only tested if

Chemistry 33: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion Page 1 of 11

their presence is suspected from other evidence
(Gower & Rhodes, 1969).
The sodium-fusion test usually makes use of
color changes or precipitate formation in
solutions to indicate specific chemical reactions
(Co & Salindo, 2012). The test involves “fusing”
clean sodium metal with an organic compound
sample at very high temperature (Henssonow et
al., 2010). The main principle is that, since
elements to be tested are covalently bonded to
the hydrocarbons, their tendency is to break the
bond with the carbon chains, becoming in their
ionic form (which are anions in this case) to bond
with the cation metal Na+. These new ionic bonds
are extracted from the “fused” mass by boiling
and subsequent filtering. The extract, called a
sodium fusion extract or Lassaigne’s extract, is
subjected to different qualitative tests utilizing
different reagents to specifically identify if the
sample contains nitrogen, sulfur, and/or
halogens (vlab.amrita.edu, 2011).
The objectives of the experiment were to (1)
prepare a “complete” sodium fusion of p-
chloroaniline, sulfanilic acid, chlorobenzene, and
unknown samples; (2) distinguish a positive
result from a negative result in respective
analyses using compounds of known elemental
composition; and (3) determine whether the sets
of unknown compounds contain nitrogen, sulfur,
chlorine, bromine, and/or iodine.
II. Experimental
Sodium Fusion
In a fume hood, a 5 mm piece of sodium metal
was removed from a kerosene oil bath and then
placed on tissue paper and patted dry. A few
drops of hexane were used to remove excess
kerosene and to ensure sodium purity. The
sodium was then placed in a test tube and heated
over an alcohol lamp until the metal had
vaporized. The test tube was removed from the
flame and 30 mg of the organic sample was
added into the tube. The test tube was then again
heated for ten minutes. While still hot, the test
tube was dropped into a 150-mL beaker
containing approximately 20 mL of distilled water
allowing it to break and have the fusion mix with
the water. The solution in the beaker was again
heated for five minutes, after which it was filtered
into another beaker using filter paper in a glass
Chemistry 33: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion
funnel. This procedure was separately done for
the preparation of sodium fusion with p-
chloroaniline, sulfanilic acid, chlorobenzene, and
an unknown substance respectively.
Sulfur Test
Five drops of the prepared fusion solution was
added into a 10-mL test tube containing three
drops of water. Two drops of 2% aqueous
Na2[Fe(C)5NO] was then added to the solution.
Development of a purple solution indicated a
positive result; absence of sulfur in the sample
was deduced otherwise.
Nitrogen Test
A pinch of FeSO4 was added to a test tube
containing 1 mL of the fusion solution. Five drops
of 10% KF was also added, and the solution was
boiled for 10 seconds. After boiling, two drops of
5% FeCl3 was added to the solution, and 6 M
H2SO4 was added to acidify the solution. A piece
of litmus paper was dropped into the solution to
confirm the acidity of the solution. Development
of a blue solution confirmed the presence of
nitrogen; similar to the previous test, absence of
nitrogen is indicated otherwise.
Halogen Test
In a fume hood, a test tube containing 10 drops
of the prepared fusion solution and a few drops
of 2M HNO3 was heated. After subjecting to heat
for five minutes, four drops of 0.1M AgNO 3 was
added. The test tube was then centrifuged at
1000 rpm for one minute. The decantate was
discarded from the test tube, and 2 M NH3 was
added dropwise to the test tube to examine its
solubility. The properties of the formed precipitate
(if any) were observed to deduce the presence of
halogens.
III. Results
Since the experiment used a qualitative
approach in elemental analysis, the sets of
results are descriptive observations on the color
change, precipitation and the corresponding
appreciable solubility of the precipitates formed.
Supplemental figures are attached in the
Appendices.
Page 2 of 11
Sodium Fusion Nitrogen Test

Table 1. Color appearance of sodium fusion Table 3. Color appearance of the solution after
extract after filtration. nitrogen test.
Sample Color of Solution Color of
Sample Indication
p-chloroaniline slightly grayish Solution
chlorobenzene slightly grayish p-chloroaniline light blue +
sulfanilic acid colorless chlorobenzene cloudy yellow -
unknown 1 yellowish sulfanilic acid blue* +
unknown 2 slightly grayish unknown 1 dirty yellow -
unknown 3 slightly grayish unknown 2 dark brown -
unknown 5 yellowish unknown 3 dark orange -
unknown 6 colorless unknown 5 faint yellow -
unknown 7 colorless unknown 6 dark green -
unknown 7 dark green -
As shown in Table 1, both the p-chloroaniline and *after a period of time, dark blue precipitate was
chlorebenzene solutions were slightly grayish, formed and the solution turned colorless
while the fusion solution of sulfanilic acid was
Nitrogen is present in p-chloroaniline and
colorless.
sulfanilic acid due to blue coloration of their
Most of the unknown samples had a grayish solution after the addition of FeCl3. However, the
appearance similar to the previous fusion solution in containing sulfanilic acid turned into
solutions except for unknowns 1, 5, 6, and 7. colorless as dark blue precipitate formed and
Unknown samples 1 and 5 were both yellowish, settled at the bottom of the tube. P-chloroaniline
while the solutions for both Unknowns 6 and 7 contrastingly didn’t exhibit this aftermath and
were colorless. There was no unknown 4 since remained blue the entire time. On the other hand,
the experiment on this sample wasn’t completely chlorobenzene and unknown 1 exhibited
conducted. yellowish coloration of the solution, a negative
response to nitrogen testing. Unknown 1 was
Sulfur Test described as “dirty” due to the presence of black
precipitate-like particles. None of the unknowns
Table 2. Color appearance of the solution after responded positively to nitrogen testing, since
sulfur test. none has turned blue.
Color of
Sample Indication
Solution Halogen Test
p-chloroaniline deep yellow -
chlorobenzene deep yellow - Table 4. Color of the precipitate formed after the
deep blue- addition of AgNO3 and their solubility in NH3.
sulfanilic acid +
violet
Color of Solubility
unknown 1 deep yellow - Sample
Precipitate in NH3
unknown 2 brown -
slightly
unknown 3 yellow - p-chloroaniline white
soluble
unknown 5 purple +
chlorobenzene none N/A
unknown 6 dark yellow -
sulfanilic acid black* N/A
unknown 7 yellow -
unknown 1 none N/A
unknown 2 none N/A
As table 2 suggests, p-chloroaniline, unknown 3 none N/A
chlorobenzene, and unknown 1 responded unknown 5 none N/A
negatively in the sulfur test, indicated by deep slightly
unknown 6 yellow
yellow coloration. However, sulfanilic acid fusion soluble
solution turned blue violet, which is a positive unknown 7 none N/A
indication of sulfur. Among the remaining *black precipitate is a nonhypothetical result,
thus there is no need to check its solubility
unknowns, unknown 5 exhibited a similar result
with sulfanilic acid, suggesting a positive result as
Upon addition of AgNO3, only the p-chloroaniline
well.
precipitated and is slightly soluble in NH3.
Chlorobenzene, however, appeared to have a

Chemistry 33: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion Page 3 of 11

cloudy yellow solution, which can be an indication
of incomplete precipitation. On the other hand,
sulfanilic acid accumulated black precipitate,
which is different from the expected outcomes
(which could either be white or yellow
precipitate), so the solubility of this precipitate
was not tested anymore. Among the unknown,
unknown 6 exhibited yellow precipitation and is
slightly soluble as well.
IV. Discussion
The paradigm of Jean Louis Lassaigne on
sodium fusion has a goal of breaking the organic
covalent bonds between hydrocarbons and
functional groups which contain the elements to
be tested to form new inorganic compounds
which display color changes during reactions.
Sulfur-containing groups are usually bonded with
carbon chains as sulfonic acids, thioaldehydes,
thioketones, thiols, and sulfides. Nitrogen is
mostly contained in amide, nitrile, amine, and
nitro compounds. Lastly, halogens such as
chlorine, bromine, and iodine are bonded to
carbons as halides or acyl halides. These organic
molecules bind these specific elements or groups
covalently. However, these bonds are easily
broken by sodium, which is a very strong
reducing agent and can break the organic
compound chain (Kokv, 2011). When these
elements separate from their respective organic
compounds, the tendency is to exist in their
stable ionic form, such as S2-, CN-, Cl-, Br-, and I-
, by which the elements may ionically bind with
Na+ during fusion. There must be an excess of
sodium metal in order for the reaction to proceed
towards the formation of ionic compounds. The
newly formed inorganic compounds are then
suspended in the aqueous solution and are
subjected to different reactions during qualitative
testing. Combination reactions such as in ionic
bonding are illustrated below (Shriner, Hermann,
Morrill, Curtin, & Fuson, 2004).
[Eq’n 1] 2 Na+ + S2- → Na2S(aq)
[Eq’n 2] Na+ + CN- → NaCN(aq)
[Eq’n 3] Na+ + X- *→ NaX(aq)*
*where X is any halide i.e.
chloride, bromide, or iodide
During sodium fusion reaction, heating is an
important process and is vital in order to push the
reaction forward as shown in Eq’ns 1, 2, and 3.
Chemistry 33: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion
Additionally, heating volatilizes any unreacted
organic material from the sample compound in
order to avoid disturbances in the results. When
the ignition tube was red-hot, it was plunged into
a beaker containing distilled water and covered
with wire gauze in order to secure the products in
the aqueous solution. Reheating is an optional
process but hotter solutions are easier to filter
than colder ones. The filtrate at this point, which
is supposed to be colorless (otherwise indicating
an incomplete fusion reaction), is the sodium
fusion extract, or Lassaigne’s extract, which
contains the inorganic compounds if present and
will be subjected to different qualitative testing to
detect the presence of sulfur, nitrogen, and
halogens (Gower & Rhodes, 1969).
In organic compounds containing both nitrogen
and sulfur, sodium metal as mentioned must be
excessive in order to prevent the mechanism
shown in Eq’n 4, where sodium thiocyanate is
formed after combining nitrogen and sulfur in a
single compound (sodium thiocyanate). But,
excessive sodium will favor the reactions in Eqn’s
1 and 2 rather than the reaction in Eq’n 4
(vlab.amrita.edu, 2011). With that, sulfur and
nitrogen tests can be done separately.
[Eq’n 4] Na+ + CN- + S2- → NaSCN(aq)
Sulfur Test
[Eq’n 5] Na2S(aq) + Na2[Fe(CN)5NO](aq) →
Na4[Fe(CN)5NOS](aq)
As illustrated in Eq’n 1, sulfur exists in the
solution as sodium sulfide. During sulfur testing,
the addition of 2% sodium nitroprusside results to
a combination reaction forming sodium
pentacyanonitrosylferrate (II) (as shown in Eq’n
5). Sodium pentacyanonitrosylferrate (II) appears
in the solution as deep blue-violet in color
(Shriner et al., 2004).
Of the three known compounds, only sulfanilic
acid responded positively to the test, while p-
chloroaniline and chlorobenzene exhibited a
deep yellow coloration. Theoretically, these
results are correct since sulfanilic acid contains
sulfonic acid functional groups (-SO3H) as shown
in Figure 1 below, whilst the other two
compounds lack sulfur. Similarly, unknown 5 has
also a positive result, which suggests that it must
have sulfur.
Page 4 of 11

Figure 1. Structure of 4-aminobenzenesulfonic acid
(sulfanilic acid). Adapted from “Why do we change
sulphanilic acid to a zwitterion? Why does sulphanilic
acid exist as a zwitterion?” by quora.com (2019).
Nitrogen Test
[Eq’n 6] 2 NaCN(aq) + FeSO4 (s) →
Fe(CN)2 (aq) + Na2SO4
[Eq’n 7] Fe(CN)2 (aq) + 4 NaCN(aq) →
Na4Fe(CN)6 (aq)
[Eq’n 8] Na4Fe(CN)6 (aq) + 4 KF(aq) →
K4Fe(CN)6 (aq) + 4 NaF
[Eq’n 9] 3 Na4Fe(CN)6 (aq) + 4 FeCl3 (aq) →
Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3 (aq) + 12 NaCl
[Eq’n 10] K4Fe(CN)6 (aq) + FeCl3 (aq) →
KFe[Fe(CN)6](s) + 3 KCl
Eq’n 2 illustrates that nitrogen group in a sodium
fusion exist as sodium cyanide. Upon addition of
ferrous sulfide, sodium will be displaced from the
compound to form ferrous cyanide (Eq’n 6).
Ferrous cyanide will further react and combine
with the remaining sodium cyanide in the solution
to form sodium ferrocyanide (Eq’n 7). Addition of
potassium fluoride in the solution complexes with
sodium ferrocyanide, forming potassium
ferrocyanide (Eq’n 8). Upon the addition of ferric
chloride, both the remaining sodium ferrocyanide
(Eq’n 9) and potassium ferrocyanide (Eq’n 10)
will react and form ferric ferrocyanide and
potassium diiron (III) hexacyanoferrate,
respectively (Haynes, 1966; Brainly, 2018). Early
practice in nitrogen testing did not include the
addition of KF, which is why earlier studies did
not always acquire the most accurate qualitative
results in this particular test. However, the
presence of potassium diiron (III)
hexacyannoferrate is confirmed by dark blue
precipitate, specifically Prussian blue (Brainly,
2018). Thus, collectively, the products formed
after addition of ferric chloride provide a
qualitative amount upon determination of
nitrogen presence, which is deduced if Prussian
blue precipitate settles at the bottom of the tube
after the blue coloration of the solution vanishes.
Chemistry 33: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion
In the experiment, p-chloroaniline and sulfanilic
acid tested positive since the organic structures
of both compounds contain amine groups,
illustrated in Figures 2 and 1, respectively.
Meanwhile, chlorobenzene exhibited a cloudy
yellow color. Unknown 1 exhibited a dark yellow
coloration as well, which suggest a negative
response for these two in nitrogen testing.
Meanwhile, unknown 7 encountered a greenish
precipitate. This indicates that the sodium wasn’t
heated enough during fusion, that is why there
was only a very minute amount of cyanide that
was detected (Kokv, 2011). This result is
commonly encountered in early practices, so, as
discussed, the convention of adding KF to the
solution yields a more desirable data upon
completion.
Figure 2. Structure of 4-chloroaniline (p-
chloroaniline). Adapted from “4-chloroaniline” by
Toronto Research Chemicals (n.d.).
Halogen Test
[Eq’n 11] NaCN + Na2S + 3 HNO3 → heat
HCN(g) + H2S(g) + 3 NaNO3 (aq)
[Eq’n 12] NaX + AgNO3 (aq) →
Ksp
AgX(s) + NaNO3 (aq)
[Eq’n 13] AgCl(s) + 2 NH3 (aq) ↔
[Ag(NH3)2]+(aq) +Cl-(aq)
In a halogen test, the goal is to precipitate any
present halogen with silver (as shown in Eq’n 12).
However, other organic compounds may contain
other elements or groups that can complex with
silver and form a precipitate (in this case,
nitrogen and sulfur). The addition of nitric acid to
the solution favors the reaction involving sulfides
and cyanides of forming hydrogen sulfide and
hydrogen cyanide, respectively and as shown in
Eq’n 11. The two aforementioned acids are weak
acids that volatilize upon heating. It is possible
that this mechanism may involve formation of
HCl, HBr, and HI. However, these are strong
acids in comparison with the weak acids which
will evaporate first when heated. Upon the
addition of silver nitrate, the halogens present will
favor precipitation. Ksp values of these halogens
Page 5 of 11
are really small, so their precipitate complex is
more favorable in the reaction. This approach in
halogen testing is particular to chloride, bromide,
and iodide only due to their capacity to be attract
a relatively large molecule (i.e. Ag+) and not
dissociate easily. This is why AgF can no longer
be included in the scope because it is highly
soluble and can only accumulate very minute to
no amount of precipitate (quora.com, 2014). In
order to detect if there are any halogens present
aside from the three, other tests must be
conducted using other reagents.
To distinguish which halogen is present, the color
and solubility in NH3 of precipitate are observed
and tested (Table 5).
Table 5. Color of halide precipitate and their
solubility in NH3.
Color of Solubility in
Halogen
Precipitate NH3
chlorine white soluble
bromine yellow slightly soluble
iodine yellow insoluble
Silver chloride is a white precipitate and is soluble
in NH3. As shown in Eq’n 13, the complexation
reaction of silver chloride with ammonia is
reversible, but the formation of the complex is
more stable, thus the reaction is more favorable
towards forward reaction. On the other hand,
silver bromide appears to be yellow and slightly
soluble in NH3 as well but is soluble in more
concentrated NH3. Lastly, silver iodide is also
yellow in color, but is insoluble due to its very low
solubility constant (Clark, 2015; Shriner et al.,
2004). Centrifugation prior to solubility testing
separates the precipitate from the solution and
allows for easy decantation.
During halogen testing in the experiment, p-
chloroaniline and chlorobenzene (chloride-
containing as shown in Figure 3 below) both
produced a white, soluble precipitate, while,
sulfanilic acid produced black precipitate. This is
an undesired result because upon precipitate
formation, the presence of nitrogen and sulfur in
the solution might affect the results afterwards.
Silver cyanide can be mistakenly observed as
silver chloride, because it also appears as white
precipitate. However, silver sulfide appears to be
black. This is observed in sulfanilic acid, which
suggests that the nitric acid added and the
process of heating did not expel the sulfide in the
Chemistry 33: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion
solution completely. Those black precipitates are
silver sulfides. On the other hand, the yellow
precipitation on unknown 6 is a false positive
result since it is expected not to exhibit any
precipitation. One possible source of
precipitation is the incomplete expulsion of non-
halogen elements (which was previously
discussed). Unknown 3 must have contained
positive result indicating presence of chlorine, but
possible mishandling of the procedures might
have further expelled them as well.
Figure 3. Structure of 1-chlorobenzene. Adapted
from “Difference Between Chlorobenzene and Benzyl
Chloride” by Madhusha (2018).
V. Conclusion and Recommendations
Elemental analysis confirmed the presence of
expected elements in the known compounds.
Sulfanilic acid tested positive for both sulfur and
nitrogen. p-chloroaniline produced a positive
result for both nitrogen and halogen tests, and
the halogen was then identified as chlorine.
Lastly, chlorobenzene tested positive for
halogens, of which chlorine was identified.
Of seven unknown samples subjected to the
three elemental analysis tests, only unknown 5
tested positive for sulfur, while only unknown 6
tested positive for halogens. The halogen was
identified to be bromine. However, some
discrepancies were identified between the
expected results and the obtained data. First,
unknown 3 was expected to test positive for
halogens, specifically chlorine. This is an
indication that the halogen did not completely
react with sodium during fusion. The same case
was found for unknown 7, where nitrogen was
expected to be present. The halogen test result
for unknown 6 was a false positive, as it did not
contain any of the testable elements within the
scope of the study.
It should be noted that the study was only limited
to the elemental analysis of nitrogen, sulfur, and
halogens, and therefore did not provide
comprehensive information regarding the full
composition of the given analytes. It is
recommended to conduct further studies utilizing
Page 6 of 11
tests that will allow the determination of the
presence of other elements not included in the
study. Qualitative analysis also did not obtain
data pertaining to the amount of any specific
element contained in the given analytes. This
may be resolved by using quantitative methods
in future studies to determine the amount of each
element present in the respective analytes in
discrete quantities.
VI. References
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3 October 2019 from https://chem.libretexts.
org/Bookshelves/Analytical_Chemistry/Book
%3A_Physical_Methods_in_Chemistry_and
_Nano_Science_(Barron)/01%3A_Elementa
l_Analysis/01.1%3A_Introduction_to_Eleme
ntal_Analysis.
Börje, S. & Hall, A. J. (2001). Techniques and
Instrumentation in Analytical Chemistry.
Molecularly Imprinted Polymers: Man-made
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Analytical Chemistry. Volume 23, 21-57.
Bozic, Dunja. (2019). Most Common Elemental
Analysis Techniques. AZoM. Retrieved 3
October 2019 from https://www.azom.com/
article.aspx?ArticleID=16423.
Brainly (2018). What happens when ferric
chloride is added to potassium ferrocyanide.
Retrieved 7 October 2019 from https://
brainly.in/question/ 7314292
Clark, J. (2015). Testing for halide ions.
Retrieved 10 October 2019 from https://www.
quora.com/Why-is-the-solubility-product-of-
AgCl-AgBr-AgI
Co, F. A. K. & Salindo, E. S (2012). Experiment
#6: Elemental Analysis. Retrieved 3 October
2019 from https://www.scribd.com/doc/867
37439/Exp-6-Sodium-Fusion-PDF
Criddle W.J. & Ellis G.P. (1967). Preliminary
Tests. In: Qualitative Organic Chemical
Analysis. Springer, Boston, MA.
Gabbai, F. P., Chirik, P. J., Fogg, D. E., Meyer,
K., Mindiola, D. J., Schafer, L. L., You, S.
(2016). An Editorial About Elemental
Analysis.Organometallics. 35, 3255-3256.
Gower, R. & Rhodes I. (1969). A Review of
Techniques in the Lassaigne Sodium-
Fusion. Journal of Chemical Education, Vol.
46 No. 9. 606-607.
Chemistry 33: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion
Haynes, B. (1966). Qualitative Organic Analysis.
762-766.
Henssonow, S. F., Surhone, L. M., Tennoe, M. T.
(2010). Sodium Fusion Test. Retrieved 3
October 2019 from https://www.betterworld
books.com/product/detail/sodium-fusion-
test-6132972609
Madhusha. (2018). Difference Between
Chlorobenzene and Benzyl Chloride.
Retrieved 10 October 2019 from https://
pediaa.com/difference-between-chlorobenz
ene-and-benzyl-chloride/
Kokv, G. (2011). Qualitative Analysis of Organic
Compounds (Sodium Fusion Test or
Lassaigne’s Test). Retrieved 10 October
2019 from http://1chemistry.blogspot.com
/2011/12/qualitative-analysis-of-organic.html
quora.com. (2014). Why is the solubility product
of AgCl>AgBr>AgI? Retrieved 10 October
2019 from https://www.quora.com/Why-is-
the-solubility-product-of-AgCl-AgBr-AgI
quora.com. (2019). Why do we change
sulphanilic acid to a zwitterion? Why does
sulphanilic acid exist as a zwitterion?
Retrieved 10 October 2019 from
https://www.quora.com/ Why-do-we-change-
sulphanilic-acid-to-a-zwitterion-Why-does-
sulphanilic-acid-exist-as-a-zwitterion
Shriner, R., Hermann, C., Morrill, T., Curtin, D.,
Fuson, R. (2004). The Systematic
Identification of Organic Compounds.
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 53-60.
Toronto Research Chemicals. (n.d.). 4-
chloroaniline. Retrieved 10 October 2019
from https://www.trc-canada.com/product-de
tail/?CatNum=C377500
vlab.amrita.edu. (2011). Detection of Elements:
Lassaigne’s Test. Retrieved 3 October 2019
from vlab.amrita.edu/?sub=2&brch=191&s
im=344&cnt=1.
Wisniak, J. (2014). Jean Louis Lassaigne.
Retrieved 7 October 2019 from https://
revista.cnic.edu.cu/revistaCB/articulos/jean-
louis-lassaigne.
Appendices: Actual Figures
The following appendages in this paper are
images taken during the conduct of experiment.
It is divided into four parts: photos for (1) sodium
fusion extraction, (2) sulfur testing, (3) nitrogen
testing, and (4) halogen testing.
Page 7 of 11
Appendix A: Sodium Fusion

Figure 6. Dropping of test tube into a 150-mL

beaker containing approximately 20 mL of
Figure 4. Sodium metal in a test tube.
distilled water allowing it to break and have the
fusion mix with the water.

Figure 7. Boiling of the solution for five minutes.

Figure 5. Heating of the sodium metal before
adding a sample.

Chemistry 33: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion Page 8 of 11

Figure 8. Sodium fusion extract (p-chloroaniline Figure 10. Sulfanilic acid responding positively
as sample), also known as Lassaigne’s extract, in the sulfur test, indicated by deep blue-violet
after filtering. coloration.

Appendix B: Sulfur Test

Figure 11. Unknown 1 responding negatively to

Figure 9. P-chloroaniline responding negatively the sulfur test, indicated by the deep yellow
in the sulfur test, indicated by deep yellow coloration.
coloration.

Chemistry 33: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion Page 9 of 11

Appendix C: Nitrogen Test solution, turned colorless and deposited blue
precipitates after a few minutes (14).

Figure 12. P-chloroaniline responding positively

in the nitrogen test, indicated by the light blue Figure 15. Unknown 1 responding negatively to
coloration. the nitrogen test, indicated by the dirty yellow
coloration.

Appendix D: Halogen Test

Figure 13 (up) & 14 (down). Sulfanilic acid Figure 16. P-chloroaniline responding positively
responding positively to the nitrogen test, to the halogen test, indicated by the white
indicated by the blue coloration (13). But the precipitate that is slightly soluble with NH3.

Chemistry 33: Elemental Analysis by Sodium Fusion Page 10 of 11

 Note: The photos were not complete for all
samples because (1) groups who worked on
chlorobenzene were not able to take photos and
(2) series of earthquakes was happening during
the experiment which caused a large distraction
to the students.

Figure 17. Sulfanilic acid responding negatively

to the halogen test, indicated by the absence of
white or yellow precipitate but an accumulation
of black precipitate (silver sulfide).

Figure 18. Unknown 1 responding negatively to

the halogen test, indicated by the absence of
precipitate.

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