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AMRITA VIDYALAYAM, NALLAMPALAYAM
CHEMISTRY- SYSTEMATIC PROCEDURE FOR INORGANIC QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
I. PRELIMINARY TESTS
EXPERIMENT
1 Appearance:
Appearance of the salt is noted
2 Solubility
Salt + water
3 Action of heat :
A small amount of the salt is
heated gently and then strongly
in a dry test tube
4 Flame test :
Salt + conc. HCl is made into a
paste and introduced the paste
with the help of the glass rod
into the non luminous part of
the bunsen flame.
5 Ash test :
Salt + conc. HNO3 + Cobalt
nitrate taken in watch glass. A
filter paper is soaked into the
solution and burnt
IDENTIFICATION OF ACID RADICALS
OBSERVATION
Crystalline
Powdery
Blue or green
Clourless
Soluble
Insoluble
Colourless and odourless gas
which turns lime water milky
Reddish brown vapours evolve
with crackling sound
Salt sublimes with evolution of
pungent smelling gas giving
dense white fumes with a glass
rod dipped in con.HCl .
The salt turns yellow when
hot and white when cold
The salt fuses or melts
No characteristic change
Brick red flame
Apple or glassy green flame
Bluish green flame
No characteristic coloured
flame
Blue ash
Green ash
Pink ash
No characteristic coloured ash
INFERENCE
May be sulphate, nitrate or chloride
May be sulphide or carbonate
Presence of copper
Absence of copper and iron salts
May be sulphate, nitrate or chloride
or ammonium chloride or ammonium
carbonate
May be sulphide or carbonate
May be carbonate
May be nitrate - Ba(NO3)2
or Pb(NO3)2
May be Ammonium
May be zinc
May be magnesium
Absence of carbonate, Ba(NO3)2,
Pb(NO3)2, Ammonium, zinc and
magnesium,
Presence of calcium
Presence of barium
Presence of copper
Absence of Calcium, Barium and
Copper
Presence of Aluminium
Presence of Zinc
Presence of Magnesium
Absence of Al, Zinc and Magnesium
 6 Action of dil Hcl:
Colourless, odourless gas with May be carbonate
Salt + dilute HCl brisk effervescence turning
lime water milky is obtained.

Colourless gas with rotten egg May be sulphide

smell turns lead acetate paper
black is obtained

No characteristic gas evolved Absence of carbonate and sulphide.

7 Copper turnings test:

Salt + Copper Turnings +

conc.H2SO4 + heated Reddish brown gas is evolved. Presence of Nitrate.

No reddish brown gas Absence of Nitrate

Evolution of ammonia gas

Action of NaOH: with pungent smell which
8. gives dense white fumes when
. a glass rod dipped in conc. HCl Presence of Ammonium.
Salt + NaOH + heated is brought near to the mouth of
the test tube and also turns
moist red litmus paper blue.

No pungent smelling gas Absence of ammonium.

9. Chromyl chloride test:

Salt + a pinch of K2Cr2O7
crystals + conc. H2SO4 + Red orange vapours are
heated. evolved.

Pass the vapours through the Solution becomes yellow

test tube contains NaOH
solution.
To the yellow solution add
dilute acetic acid and lead
acetate solution.
Presence of chloride is conformed.
Yellow precipitate is obtained
No red orange vapours are Absence of chloride.
evolved

PREPARATION OF SODIUM CARBONATE EXTRACT

A small amount of salt is mixed with twice the amount of sodium carbonate in a 100 ml beaker. 20ml of distilled water
is added, boiled for 10 minutes, cooled and filtered. The filtrate is known as “Sodium carbonate extract”.

EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE

1 Silver nitrate test:
. Extract + dilute Nitric acid is
added until the effervescence
ceases + few drops of Silver
Nitrate solution.
A curdy white precipitate soluble in Presence of chloride is
NH4OH is obtained. confimed
No curdy white precipitate Absence of chloride

2 Lead acetate test: A white precipitate soluble in Presence of sulphate is

. Extract + dilute acetic acid is added ammonium acetate solution is confirmed.
until the effervescence ceases + few obtained.
 drops of lead acetate solution.
3 Barium chloride test:
. Extract + dil. HCl is added until the
. effervescence ceases + few drops of
barium chloride solution.
4 Brown ring test:
. Extract + dil. H2SO4 is added until
the effervescence ceases + freshly
prepared FeSO4 + conc.H2SO4 is
added along the inner side of the
test tube.
5 Test for Phosphate:
. Ammonium molybdate test:
Extract + con.HNO3 + the mixture
is boiled + excess of ammonium
molybdate + boiled.
6 Test for Ester:
.a Test for oxalate:
Salt + conc.H2SO4 is added until
the effervescence ceases + ethyl
alcohol
Test for oxalate:
b. Salt + dil. H2SO4 + the mixture is
heated + few drops of KMnO4
solution.
A black precipitate is obtained.
No characteristic coloured
precipitate
A white precipitate insoluble in
con.HCl
is obtained.
No white precipitate
A dark brown ring is formed at the
junction of the two layers.
No dark brown ring.
Deep yellow precipitate is obtained.
No deep yellow precipitate
Pleasant sweet smelling ester is
obtained.
No pleasant sweet smelling ester
Purple colour of KMnO4
disappears.
No decolourisation
Presence of sulphide is
confirmed.
Absence of sulphate and
sulphide
Presence of Sulphate is
conformed.
Absence of sulphate
Presence of Nitrate is
confirmed.
Absence of Nitrate.
Presence of phosphate is
confirmed.
Absence of phosphate
Presence of oxalate or
acetate
Abesence of oxalate or
acetate
Presence of oxalate is
confirmed.
Absence of oxalate

7 Test for acetate: Deep red colour turns into reddish Presence of acetate is
.a Salt + 2 ml neutral ferric chloride brown precipitate when water is confirmed.
and warmed added.
No red colouration Absence of acetate

Salt + 2 ml of oxalic acid Vinegar smell is obtained. Presence of acetate is

b. confirmed
No vinegar smell Absence of acetate

IDENTIFICATION OF THE BASIC RADICALS

PREPARATION OF ORIGINAL SOLUTION:
The original solution is prepared by dissolving 1 gm of the salt in 10 ml of distilled water / Hot water - Pb(NO 3)2 /
dil.HCl- CaCO3 and CuCO3
EXPERIMENT
1 ZERO GROUP (AMMONIUM)
. Salt + NaOH solution + heated.
1 ml of original solution + few
drops of Nessler’s reagent + excess
of NaOH solution
2 Group – 1 Analysis: ( Pb )
Original solution + dil.Hcl
3 Group – 2 Analysis (Pb &Cu)
Original solution + dil.HCl + H2S
gas.
i) Black precipitate + 50% HNO3
ii) Black precipitate + 50% HNO3
+ excess of NH4OH
4 Group – 3 Analysis (Al)
Original solution + 1 ml NH4Cl +
2ml NH4OH
5 Group – 4 Analysis (Zinc)
Original solution + 1 ml NH4Cl + 2
ml NH4OH + H2S gas.
6 Group – 5 Analysis (Ca & Ba)
Original solution + 1 ml NH4Cl + 2
ml
NH4OH + 2 ml of saturated
(NH4)2CO3 solutions + warm
Dissolve the white precipitate in hot
acetic acid and divide into 2 parts
GROUP ANALYSIS
OBSERVATION INFERENCE
Evolution of ammonia gas with
pungent smell which gives dense
white fumes when a glass rod
dipped in conc. HCl is brought near Presence of Ammonium.
to the mouth of the test tube and
also turns moist red litmus paper
blue.
No pungent smelling gas Absence of ammonium.
Reddish brown precipitate is Presence of Ammonium.
obtained.
No reddish brown precipitate Absence of ammonium.
White precipitate is obtained. Presence of group 1 radical
(Pb)
No White precipitate Absence of Lead.
Black precipitate is obtained Presence of group 2 radical
(Pb / Cu)
Black precipitate becomes
colourless solution which turns into Presence of lead
white precipitate when H2SO4 is
added.
Bluish colour solution Presence of copper
No black precipitate Absence of group 2 radicals
Gelatinous white precipitate is Presence of group 3 radical
obtained. (Al)
No Gelatinous white precipitate Absence of group 3 radical
(Al)
Dirty white precipitate is obtained. Presence of group 4
radical(Zn).
No dirty white precipitate Absence of group 4
radical(Zn).
White precipitate is obtained. Presence of group 5 radicals
(Ca or Ba)
No White precipitate Absence of group 5 radicals
(Ca and Ba)
 Part – 1 + potassium chromate
solution
Part – II + ammonium oxalate +
ammonium hydroxide solutions
7 Group – 6 Analysis (Mg)
Original solution + 2 ml disodium
hydrogen phosphate + ammonia
solution
Yellow precipitate is obtained
White precipitate is obtained
white precipitate is obtained
No white precipitate
Presence of Barium is
confirmed.
Presence of Calcium is
confirmed.
Presence of Magnesium.
Absence of Magnesium.

CONFIRMATORY TESTS FOR BASIC RADICALS

EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE

1. ZERO GROUP (AMMONIUM)

Original solution + Nessler’s Reddish brown precipitate is Presence of ammonium is

reagent + excess of NaOH solution. obtained. confirmed.
2. Group 1: Lead
Original solution + potassium
chromate (K2CrO4) solution Yellow precipitate is obtained Presence of Lead is
confirmed.
Original solution +KI solution Yellow precipitate is obtained

Yellow precipitate + water + boil Precipitate dissolves and Presence of Lead is

and cool reappears in the form of golden confirmed.
spangles
3. Group 2: (Pb & Cu)
Confirmatory test for copper: Presence of copper is
A pale blue precipitate dissolves in confirmed
Original solution + NH4OH in drops excess of NH4OH to give inky blue
and then in excess. solution.
Original solution + dil.acetic acid +
potassium ferrocyanide solution Chocolate brown precipitate Presence of copper is
K4 [Fe (CN)6] confirmed

4. Group 3 : (Al)
White gelatinous precipitate
dissolves in dil.HCl by boiling and
make it into 2 parts

Part 1 + few drops of blue litmus Formation of a blue floating

solution precipitate in colourless solution
( Lake test)
Aluminium is confirmed.
Part 2 +2 ml of NH4OH + A bright red lake is formed
Aluminon
reagent

5. Group 4 : (Zinc)
Dissolve a part of white
precipitate in dil.HCl. , boil and
pass H2S and divide it into 2 parts

i) Part 1 + potassium Bluish white precipitate Zn is confirmed

ferrocyanide
solution
White precipitate soluble in excess Zn is confirmed
 ii) Part 2 + NaOH solution NaOH
6. Group 5 :Ba & Ca

Original solution + K2CrO4 solution Yellow precipitate Barium is confirmed

Original solution + ammonium

oxalate + NH4OH solution and White precipitate Calcium is confirmed
scratch the sides of the test tubes
Group 6 : (Mg)
7. Original solution + solid NH4Cl
and warm to dissolve , cool +
NH4OH solution in slight excess +
ammonium phosphate solution , White crystalline precipitate Magnesium is confirmed
shake well and allow to stand

Original solution + Magneson Blue precipitate Magnesium is confirmed

reagent + excess NaOH solution

RESULT : The given simple salt contains

Anion / Acid Radical :
Cation / Basic Radical :