QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF

ANIONS
OBJECTIVES:
To learn how to identify an anion from its
typical chemical reaction.
To learn how to represent a chemical
reaction as a net ionic equation.
CHANGES FOR THE CHEMICAL REACTIONS
Formation or Disappearance of a:
Colour
Solid (Precipitate)
Gas
Light
Heat
Change in the reading of the instruments
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
Reagent: a chemical substance that is mixed with the
unknown when it will react selectively with one of the ions
to give a change.
Depending on the changes occur, there are two types of
tests:
 Positive test: when the substance (anion or cation) is
present in the unknown.
 Negative test: when the substance (anion or cation) is
not present (absent) in the unknown. Or sometimes the
concentration of the substance is too low to see the
change.
In the today’s experiment, there
are five anions test.
 Cl- (Chloride Ion Test)
 SO42- (Sulfate Ion Test)
 NO3- (Nitrate Ion Test)
 CO32- (Carbonate Ion Test)
 PO43- (Phosphate Ion Test)
Tests of anions written as molecular equations
(Reagents in red)
 Remember: All tests should be acidified using proper
acid to remove the carbonate and phosphate ions
that may affect the observation of other ions.
1- Chloride Ion test:
AgNO3 + NaCl  AgCl (White ppt) + NaNO3
(The solution acidified with 6M HNO3)

White ppt. (Cl- present)

Solution

+ HNO3 (6M) + AgNO3

No Change (Cl- Absent)

2- Sulfate Ion test
BaCl2 + Na2SO4  BaSO4 (White ppt) + 2NaCl
(The solution acidified with 6M HCl)

White ppt. (SO4-2 present)

Solution

+ HCl (6M) + BaCl2

No Change (SO4-2 Absent)

3- Nitrate Ion test:
8FeSO4 + 2NaNO3 + 4H2SO4  2[FeNO]SO4 + 3Fe2(SO4)3 + Na2SO4 + 4H2O
(Brown ring of [FeNO]2+)
(The solution is acidified with 6M H2SO4)

Brown(NO3- present)
Solution

+ H2SO4 (6M) + FeSO4 + H2SO4 (Conc.)

No Change (NO3- Absent)

4- Carbonate Ion test:
Na2CO3 + 2HCl  2NaCl + H2O + CO2 (gas)
(Only 6M HCl is used)

Bubbles (CO3-2 present)

Solution

+ 6M HCl

No Change (CO3-2 Absent)

5- Phosphate Ion test:
Na3PO4 + 12(NH4)2MoO4 + 24HNO3  (NH4)3[PO4(MoO3)12] (Yellow ppt)
+ 3NaNO3 + 21NH4NO3 + 12H2O
(The solution is heated using water bath for several minutes)

Yellow ppt. (PO4-3 present)

Solution

+ HNO3 (6M)+ (NH4)MoO4

∆
No Change (PO4-3 Absent)
How to write net ionic equation?
 Chloride ion test:
• Molecular Equation:
AgNO3 (aq) + NaCl (aq) AgCl (ppt) + NaNO3 (aq)

• Total Ionic Equation:

Ag+ + NO3- + Na+ + Cl- AgCl (ppt) + Na+ + NO3-

• Net Ionic Equation

Ag+ + Cl- AgCl (ppt)
Summary
Anions Acid Reagent (s) Observation Product

Chloride 6M HNO3 AgNO3 White ppt. AgCl

Sulfate 6M HCl BaCl2 White ppt. BaSO4

Nitrate 6M H2SO4 Saturated Brown color [FeNO]+2

FeSO4/Conc. H2SO4 (ring)

Carbonate HCl Bubbles CO2 gas

Phosphate (NH4)2MoO4/HNO3 Yellow ppt. (NH4)3[PO4(MoO3)12

]

 The solution should be acidified to remove the carbonate and phosphate ions
because they can react with most of the reagents to give wrong observation.
 The acids used in the acidification should not contain the anions to be tested.
 Known solution of anions
(Observation)
What did you see? Net ionic equation

1-Cl- test White ppt. Ag+ + Cl- AgCl (s)

2- SO42- test White ppt. Ba2+ + SO42- BaSO4 (s)

3- NO3- test Brown ring 4Fe2+ + NO3- + 4H+ [FeNO]2+ (aq) + 3Fe3+ + 2H2O

4-CO32- test CO2 Bubbles CO32- + 2H+ H2O + CO2 (g)

5- PO43- test Yellow PO43- + 3NH4+ + 12MoO42- + 24H+

ppt.
(NH4)3[PO4(MoO3)12](s) + 12H2O