QUALITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS

Dr. Ulva Ria Irfan

Geological Engineering Study Program

Faculty of Engineering
Universitas Hasanuddin
 Qualitative Analysis

• A qualitative characteristic is a description of something

that does not involve numbers or units of measurement.
• The analysis will be to identify the cations and anions of
a substance (geological sample) using characteristics
such as colour and solubility.
 Colors from metal ions in minerals
• All of the examples of colored minerals below have color due to metal ions.
Ions of the first-row transition elements (Ti to Cu) are normally responsible
for color in these minerals.
• These ions have electrons in the five 3d orbitals. In the crystallographic sites
found in minerals, the 3d orbitals split into different energies. Visible light
interacts with these electrons and causes them to be excited to higher
energy orbitals.
• The wavelengths that cause these transitions are subtracted from the
incident light resulting in color.
 Colors from metal ions in minerals
First Row Metals
• Cu2+ usually occupies sites distorted from
octahedral geometry. It produces blue and green
color in minerals such as azurite, malachite, and
tourmaline
• Fe2+ in forsterite is the ion responsible for the
green color. In some minerals with high
concentrations of Fe2+, such as fayalite or
orthopyroxene, the color is brown. in the eight-
coordinated site of pyrope garnet
• Mn3+ causes red and green colors in octahedral
sites muscovite mica, andalusite containing
Mn3+ is green and in the amphibole, tremolite, it
produces a violet color.

• As Arsenic - Blue
• B Boron - Bright Green
• *Ba Barium - Apple Green
• Ca Calcium - Brick Red
• Cs Cesium - Pale Violet
• Cu(I) Copper(I) - Blue
• Cu(II) Copper(II) (non-
halide) - Green
• *Cu(II) Copper(II) (halide)
-Blue-Green
• *Fe Iron - Gold
• In Indium - Blue
• *K Potassium - Lilac
• Li Lithium – Carmine Red
Flame Colours
Mg Magnesium - Brilliant white
Mn(II) Manganese(II) –
Yellowish green
Mo Molybdenum - Yellowish
green
*Na Sodium - Intense Yellow
P Phosphorus - Pale bluish green
Pb Lead - Pale green
Rb Rubidium - Pale violet
Sb Antimony - Pale green
Se Selenium - Azure blue
Sr Strontium - Crimson Red
Te Tellurium - Pale green
Tl Thallium - Pure green
Zn Zinc - Bluish Green