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

2) Insoluble 2) May be Carbonate or

Sulphide.

2 ACTION OF HEAT: 1) Colourless, 1) May be Carbonate.

odourless gas
A small amount of the salt turning Lime water
is heated gently in a dry test milky.
tube. 2) Decripitation occ 2) May
urs with evolution be Nitrate.
of reddish
brown gas.

3) Salt 3) May be Ammonium.

sublimes with
evolution
of pungent smelling
gas giving dense
white fumes with a
glass rod dipped
in conc HCl.
4) The white salt 4) May be Zinc.
turns yellow on
heating.
5) No characteristic 5) Absence of
change. Carbonate,
Nitrate, Ammonium
and Zinc.
3 FLAME TEST: 1) Bluish colour 1) Presence of Copper.
flame.
A small amount of the salt is 2) Brick red flame. 2) Presence
made into a paste with conc. of Calcium.
 HCl in a watch glass and 3) Grassy 3) Presence of Barium.
introduced into the non- green flame.
luminous part of the Bunsen 4) No characteristic 4) Absence of Copper,
flame. coloured flame. Calcium 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
with conc. HCl / HNO3 and Co
of Aluminium.
balt Nitrate solution in a watch
glass and burnt. 3) Pink ash. 3) Presence
of Magnesium.
4) No characteristic 4) Absence of Zinc,
coloured ash. Aluminium and
Magnesium.

II. TESTS FOR ACID RADICALS

5 ACTION OF DIL HCl
To a small amount of dilute
HCl the salt is added.
1) Brisk 1) Carbonate is
effervescence of confirmed.
colourless, odourless gas
turning Lime water
milky.

2) Rotten egg smelling 2) Sulphide is

gas turning Lead acetate confirmed.
paper black.

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

A small amount of the salt is

heated with Copper
Turnings / Filter paper
ball and a few drops of conc.
Sulphuric acid.

7 CHROMYL CHLORIDE
TEST:
To a small amount of
the salt a pinch of Potassium
Dichromate is added and
heated with few drops
of conc. Sulphuric acid.
8 ACTION OF NaOH:
A small amount of the salt is
heated with Sodium
Hydroxide.
2) No reddish brown gas 2) Absence of Nitrate.
is evolved.
1) Red 1) Chloride is
orange vapours evolved confirmed.
are passed through water
to get a yellow solution,
which on adding Lead
acetate forms
a yellow precipitate is
obtained.
2) No Red orange 2) Absence of
vapours. chloride.
1) Pungent smelling 1) Presence
gas forming dense of Ammonium.
white fumes with a
glass rod dipped in conc.
HCl and also turns red
Litmus paper blue.
2) No pungent smelling 2) Absence of
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: is obtained., confirmed.
insoluble in conc. HCl.
To a few drops of the
extract, dilute Hydrochloric 2) No white precipitate. 2) Absence of
Acid is added until the Sulphate
effervescence ceases and 2
ml of Barium
chloride solution is added.
11 SILVER NITRATE TEST: 1) A curdy white 1) Presence
precipitate is obtained., of Chloride.
To a few drops of the soluble in excess of
extract dilute Nitric Acid is Ammonium hydroxide.
added until the effervescence
ceases and 2 ml of Silver
Nitrate solution is added.
2) A black precipitate 2) Presence
is obtained.. 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 of confirmed.
To a few drops of the two layers.
extract 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

13. PREPARATION OF ORIGINAL SOLUTION:
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)
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 is obtained.. Group. (Lead).
of dilute HCl is added.
2) No characteristic 2) Absence of First Group
precipitate. (Lead).

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

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

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

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

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

original solution 1 white precipitate is Group (Zinc).
ml NH4Cl and 2 obtained..
ml NH4OH solutions are 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Fourth Group
added and H2S gas is precipitate. (Zinc).
passed.
5 To a few drops of the 1) White precipitate 1) Presence of Fifth
original solution 1 is obtained.. Group (Calcium or Barium).
ml NH4Cl, 2
ml NH4OH and 2
ml (NH4)2CO3 solutions 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Fifth Group
are added. precipitate. (Calcium and Barium).

6 To a few drops of the 1) White precipitate 1) Presence of Sixth Group

original solution 1 is obtained.. (Magnesium).
ml NH4Cl, 2
ml NH4OH and 2 ml Di
Sodium 2) No characteristic 2) Absence of Sixth Group
Hydrogen Phosphate are precipitate. (Magnesium).
added.
 V. CONFIRMATORY TESTS FOR BASIC RADICALS
S. EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
No
TEST FOR AMMONIUM
1 To a few drops of the Reddish brown precipitate Ammonium is
original solution Sodium is obtained.. 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 soluble Lead is confirmed.
original solution Potassium in hot water which
Iodide is added. reappears as golden yellow
spangles on cooling.

Second group - COPPER

1 To a few drops of the Deep blue colour Copper
original is confirmed.
solution Ammonium
Hydroxide is added in drops
to excess.
2 To a few drops of the Chocolate Copper is
original solution Pottasium brown precipitate is confirmed.
ferro cyanide is added. obtained..

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 drops Sodium hydroxide.
to excess.
2 To a few drops of the A bright red lake. Aluminium is
original confirmed.
solution Ammonium
Hydroxide and Aluminon
reagent are added.
 1 To a few drops of the White precipitate Zinc is confirmed.
original solution Sodium soluble in excess of
Hydroxide is added in drops Sodium hydroxide.
to excess.
2 To a few drops of the White Zinc is
original solution Potassium precipitate soluble in confirmed.
Ferro cyanide is added. excess of Sodium
hydroxide & insoluble in
dilute acid.

Fifth group - CALCIUM

1 To a few drops of the No precipitate. Calcium is
original solution Potassium confirmed.
Chromate is added.
2 To a few drops of the White Calcium is
original precipitate insoluble in confirmed.
solution Ammonium Acetic acid.
Hydroxide and Ammonium
Oxalate are added.

Fifth group - BARIUM

1 To a few drops of the Yellow precipitate, Barium is
original solution Potassium soluble in acid. confirmed.
Chromate is added.
2 To a few drops of the White precipitate Barium is
original solution Dilute insoluble in Acetic acid. confirmed.
Sulphuric Acid is added.
Sixth group - MAGNESIUM

1 To a few drops of the White precipitate, Magnesium

original solution Sodium insoluble in excess of is confirmed.
Hydroxide is added in drops Sodium hydroxide.
to excess.
2 To a few drops of the Blue precipitate is Magnesium is
original solution Magneson obtained.. confirmed.
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 : ____________________________________