VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA SR. SEC.

SCHOOL, KARUR
Practical Materials – Chemistry – Class XI & XII

Inorganic salt analysis - General Procedure

S.No EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
1. a. Colour:
Colour of the salt is noted Colourless Absence of Copper and Iron salts.

b. Appearance:
Appearance of the salt is noted Crystalline May be Sulphate, nitrate, or chloride.

May be carbonate or sulphide. (except

Powdery ammonium carbonate)
2. Solubility: Soluble May be Sulphate, nitrate or chloride.
Salt + Distilled water
Insoluble May be carbonate or sulphide.
(except ammonium carbonate)
3. Action of heat : Colourless, odourless gas, which turns May be carbonate
Salt lime water milky, evolves

Decripitation (cracking noise) occurs; May be nitrate

Reddish brown gas evolves

Salt sublimes. Colourless, pungent

smelling gas giving dense white fumes May be ammonium salt
with a glass rod dipped in con. HCl
evolves

The salt turns yellow when hot, and May be Zinc salt
white when cold.
Absence of carbonate, nitrate,
No characteristic change ammonium and zinc.
4. Flame test: Brick red colour flame Presence of calcium
Salt + con. HCl, made into paste. Small
amount of paste is introduced into non Grassy green colour flame Presence of Barium
luminous part of Bunsen Flame.
No characteristic coloured flame Absence of calcium and Barium
5. Ash test: Blue ash Presence of aluminium
A filter paper is soaked into the mixture of
salt + con. HNO3 + cobalt nitrate solution Green ash Presence of Zinc
and is burnt
Pink ash Presence of magnesium

No characteristic coloured ash Absence of aluminium, Zinc and

magnesium

Identification of Acid Radicals

6. Action of dil. HCl: Colourless, odourless gas evolves with Carbonate is confirmed
brisk effervescence turning lime water
Salt + dil. HCl milky.

Colourless, rotten egg smelling gas

turning lead acetate paper black Sulphide is confirmed
evolves.
Absence of carbonate and sulphide
No characteristic gas is evolved
7. Action of Copper turnings: Reddish brown gas evolves Presence of nitrate is confirmed
Salt + copper turning + con. H2SO4+
No reddish brown gas Absence of nitrate
8. Action of NaOH: Pungent smelling gas giving, dense Presence of ammonium salt
Salt + NaOH + white fumes with a glass rod dipped in
con. HCl evolves.

No pungent smelling gas Absence of ammonium salt

9. Chromyl chloride test: Red orange vapours evolved which Chloride is confirmed
Salt + K2Cr2O7+ con H2SO4 + when passed through lead acetate
solution give a yellow precipitate

No red orange vapours evolved Absence of chloride

Preparation of sodium carbonate extract:

Salt + twice the amount of sodium carbonate + 20 ml distilled water, boiled, cooled and filtered. The filtrate is called sodium carbonate extract.
1
 10. Silver nitrate test: A curdy white precipitate completely Presence of chloride
Sodium carbonate extract + dil. nitric acid soluble in excess of ammonium
(till the effervescence ceases ) + silver hydroxide is obtained.
nitrate.
A black precipitate is obtained Presence of sulphide

No characteristic precipitate is obtained Absence of chloride and sulphide

11. Lead acetate test: A white precipitate soluble in Presence of sulphate
Sodium carbonate extract + dil. acetic acid ammonium acetate and sodium
(till the effervescence ceases) + lead acetate hydroxide mixture is obtained.

A black precipitate soluble in hot dil. Presence of sulphide

nitric acid is obtained.

No characteristic precipitate is obtained. Absence of sulphate and sulphide.

12. Barium Chloride test: A white precipitate insoluble in con. Sulphate is confirmed
Sodium carbonate extract + dil. HCl (till the HCl is obtained
effervescence ceases) + Barium Chloride
No white precipitate is obtained Absence of sulphate
13. Brown ring test: Brown ring is formed at the junction of Nitrate is confirmed
Sodium carbonate extract + dil. H2SO4 (till two layers.
the effervescence ceases) + freshly prepated
FeSO4 + con. H2SO4 is added is added in No brown ring is formed Absence of nitrate.
drops along the inner side of the test tube.
Confirmatory Tests for Acetate:

14. To a little of the salt sol., add one or two A deep red colourisation Presence of acetate
drops of neutral ferric chloride sol.
15. A mixture of salt and ethanol is heated with Pleasant fruity smell Acetate anion is confirmed
little con. H2SO4 in a dry test tube. It is
poured into excess of water
Identification of Basic Radicals
Preparation of Original Solution:
Crystalline Salt: The original solution is prepared by dissolving the salt in distilled water.

Powder Salt: The original solution is prepared by dissolving the salt in dil. HNO3.

Zero Group
16 Original solution + Nessler’s reagent + Reddish brown precipitate is obtained. Ammonium is confirmed
NaOH
No reddish brown precipitate is Absence of Ammonium
obtained
Group separation
17. Original solution + dil. HCl White precipitate soluble when boiled Presence of first group (Lead)
with water is obtained

No white precipitate is obtained Absence of first group (Lead)

18. Original solution + NH4Cl + NH4OH Gelatinous white precipitate is obtained Presence of III group (Aluminium)

No Gelatinous white precipitate is Absence of III group (Aluminium)

obtained
19. Original solution + NH4Cl + NH4OH + H2S Dirty white precipitate is obtained Presence of IV group (Zinc)

No Dirty white precipitate is obtained. Absence of IV group (Zinc)

20. Original solution + NH4 Cl + NH4 OH + White precipitate is obtained Presence of V group ( calcium or
ammonium carbonate barium)

No white precipitate is obtained Absence of V group (calcium or barium)

21. Original Solution + NH4Cl +NH4OH + White precipitate is obtained Presence of VI group ( Magnesium)
disodium hydrogen phosphate
No white precipitate is obtained Absence of VI group (Magnesium)
Confirmatory tests for Basic Radicals
22. Lead (I group) : Yellow Precipitate soluble in Hot water Lead is confirmed
Original solution + KI and reappears as golden yellow spangles
on cooling is obtained
23. Aluminum (III group) : A bright red lake is obtained Aluminium is confirmed
Original solution + ammonium hydroxide +
aluminon reagent

2
 24. Zinc (IV group): White precipitate soluble in excess of Zinc is confirmed
Original solution + potassium ferro cyanide NaOH but insoluble in dilute acids is
obtained
25. Barium (V group): Yellow precipitate is obtained Barium is confirmed
Original solution + potassium chromate
26. Calcium (V group): White precipitate insoluble in acetic Calcium is confirmed
Original solution + Ammonium hydroxide + acid is obtained
ammonium oxalate
27. Magnesium (VI group): Blue precipitate is obtained Magnesium is confirmed
Original solution + magneson reagent.

Result:

The given Simple salt contains i) Acid radical: __________________

ii) Basic radical: __________________

The given simple salt is _______________________________________

Organic Sample Analysis - General Procedure

Preliminary Tests

Experiments Observations Inference

Colour and appearance is noted Colourless liquid Absence of phenol & aniline

Brown liquid May be phenol or aniline

Odour is noted Carbolic smell May be phenol

Bitter almond smell Maybe an aldehyde

No characteristic smell Absence of phenol, aniline, aldehyde.

Solubility is noted
1. water Partially soluble in cold water but soluble in May be an acid or alcohol (fully soluble)
hot water

No characteristic observation Absence of alcohol and acid

2. dil. HCl Soluble Presence of aniline

Insoluble Absence of aniline

3. NaOH Soluble May be acid

Insoluble May not be acid or phenol

4. Red litmus paper test Changes to blue Presence of aniline

No characteristic observation Absence of aniline

5. Blue litmus paper test Changes to red May be acid

No characteristic observation May not be acid

TEST TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE COMPOUND IS

ALIPHATIC / AROMATIC

Ignition test: Burns with non smoky flame The compound is aliphatic
A little of the substance is burnt on a pocket
spatula Burns with smoky flame The compound is aromatic

Nitration test: Yellow precipitate/solution The compound is aromatic

To a mixture of 1ml of con. HNO3 and 1ml of
con. H2SO4 in a test tube, a little of compound
is added and heated in a boiling water bath for No Yellow precipitate / solution The compound is aliphatic
15min and then pour it into cold water taken
in a beaker.

TEST TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE COMPOUND IS

SATURATED OR UNSATURATED

3
 1. A little of the compound is shaken with
water and very dil. KMnO4 is added drop wise
2. A Little of the compound is shaken with
water and Br2 water is added drop wise
Immediate decolourisation The compound may be unsaturated
No decolourisation The compound may be saturated
Decolourisation The Compound may be unsaturated
No decolourisation The compound may be saturated

DETECTION OF FUNCTIONAL GROUP

1. To a little of NaHCO3 salt, a little of the Brisk effervescence Presence of carboxylic acid
compound is added
No observation Absence of carboxylic acid
2. To an aq. Or alc. Solution of the compound Violet colour Presence of phenol
add a few drops of Neutral FeCl3

No observation Absence of phenol

3. To a little of Borche’s reagent, a little of the Orange/Yellow precipitate Presence of aldehyde / ketone
compound is added and shaken
No observation Absence of aldehyde / ketone
4. To a little of Schiff’s reagent, a little of the Pink colour developed immediately Presence of aldehyde
compound is added
Pink colour developed after some time Presence of ketone

No observation Absence of aldehyde/ketone

CONFIRMATORY TESTS

CARBOXYLIC ACID
1. A little of the substance is dissolved in A brown precipitate formed Presence of Carboxylic acid is confirmed
excess NaOH and boiled until there is no
smell of NH3. Cool the mixture and add few
drops of FeCl3

2. A little of the compound is mixed with A pleasant fruity smell Presence of Carboxylic acid is confirmed
ethanol and few drops of con. H2SO4 and
poured into water taken in a beaker

KETONES & ALDEHYDE

1. Tollen’s test : No black precipitate or silver mirror Presence of Ketone is confirmed
To little of Tollen’s reagent a little of
compound is added and heated in boiling Black precipitate formed and then a bright Presence of aldehyde is confirmed
water silver mirror

2. To a little of the given compound finely Appearance of violet colour which slowly Presence of ketone is confirmed
powdered m-dinitrobenzene and a little of fades
NaOH solution is added and shaken
3. To a little of the compound NaOH sol. is Pink Colour Presence of ketone is confirmed
added and shaken followed by sodium nitro
prusside.
4.Fehlings test: Red precipitate Presence of aldehyde is confirmed
To the mixture of Fehling A & B soln., few
drops of the given compound is added and
warmed in a test tube in hot water bath.

PHENOLS
1. Liebermann’s nitoso reaction: Red turns to blue colour Presence of phenol is confirmed
A few drops of the substance is mixed with
con. H2 SO4 and added with sodium nitrate
and warmed gently for a minute and poured
into water taken in a beaker. Excess of NaOH
is added to the red solution in the beaker.

2. A few drops of substance is mixed with Appearance of blue colour Presence of phenol is confirmed
phthalic anhydride in a test tube and added
few drops of con H2SO4 heated , cooled and
poured into beaker containing dil. NaOH

Result:
The given organic compound is ______________________ (Aliphatic / aromatic, Saturated / Unsaturated, Ketone / Alcohol / Aldehyde /
Carboxylic acid, etc…)
4
5