Here is some quick revision on qualitative analysis...(:

Test for cations (metal ions)
2 methods - adding sodium hydroxide and adding aqueous ammonia

First up, sodium hydroxide

no ppt (SPA)
1. sodium
2. potassium
3. Ammonium (when u add sodium hydroxide to this, no ppt, when u heat it, a gas is evolved-ammonia)

White ppt (ZAP Ca)
1. Zinc
2. Aluminium
3. Pb lead
these 3's ppt are soluble
4. Calcium (insoluble white ppt)

Coloured ppt
Blue- copper 2+ insoluble
Dirty green- Fe 2+ insoluble
Reddish brown - Fe 3+ insoluble

so when sodium hydroxide is added, SPA no ppt, ZAP soluble white ppt, the rest insoluble ppt

2nd method, aqueous ammonia

basically everything is the same as sodium hydroxide except here, Calcium DO NOT form ppt. so one more no ppt to add on... ZAP are SPLIT UP. Zinc soluble(same) but aluminium and lead don't like ammonia, not soluble. for coloured ppt, all same except the blue ppt that copper 2+ forms is soluble to form dark blue solution

Identifying anions

Carbonate
easy. add acid and carry out test for carbon dioxide (recall: acid +carbonate->salt +water+carbondioxide)

Nitrate
also easy. almost the same as testing for ammonium ions (upthere).
1. Add sodium hydroxide
2. Add aluminium powder or devarda's alloy (aluminium and zinc)
3. heat
4. ammonia is produced
the only diff between nitrates test and ammonium test is ammonium test no metal is added, just NaOH and heat, but nitrates got add Al.

Chlorides
1. Add silver nitrate dropwise
2. white ppt formed
3. insoluble in acid
4. soluble in ammonia to form colourless solution

Iodides (the NICE ONE!!!)
2 methods, first method is same as chloride,
1. add silver nitrate
2. pale YELLOW ppt
3. insoluble in acid AND ammonia

second method-- the beautiful one
1. add lead (II) nitrate
2. yellow ppt
3. heat
4. soluble in hot water to form colourless solution
5. on cooling, golden CRYSTALS are formed:)

Sulfate
1. add barium chloride, then hydrochloric acid OR add barium nitrate then hydrochloric acid
2. white ppt formed
3. insoluble in excess acid
* note note note!!! when acid is added, no effervescence means confirms its sulfate, because it might be carbonate or sulfite too, if have white ppt with barium nitrate or chloride. but then, if its carbonate, when add the acid, CO2 evolved. if its sulfite, SO2 evolved

testing for gases summary is below, scroll down..(:
jiayou!!

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