SALT ANALYSIS

EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE

PRELIMINARY TEST
1. Colour of the salt: ● Blue or bluish green ● Presence of copper
Colour of the salt is noted ● Light green ● Presence of iron
● Dark brown (ferrous)
● Green ● Presence of nickel
● Pink ● Presence of cobalt
● Colourless ● Presence of cobalt
and iron nickel salt

2. Appearance: ● Crystal line ● Maybe sulphate,

Appearance of the given salt is ● Powdery nitrate or chloride
noted ● Maybe carbonate or
sulphide (except
ammonium
carbonate)

3. Solubility: ● Soluble ● Maybe sulphate,

A small amount of salt is mixed ● Insoluble nitrate, chloride or
well with water ammonium
carbonate.
● Maybe carbonate or
sulphide.

4. Action of heat: ● Colourless, odourless ● Maybe carbonate or

A small amount of salt is taken in gas which turns lime oxalate
a dry test tube and heated gently water milky evolves.
● Reddish brown gas
evolves
● Maybe nitride or
● Greenish- Yellow gas
nitrate
evolves.
● Maybe a chloride
● Salt sublimes
 colourless pungent ● Maybe ammonium
smelling gas giving salt.
dense white fumes
with-a glass-rod
dipped in the
concentrated
hydrochloric acid
evolves.
● Salt turns yellow ● Maybe Zinc salt.
when hot and white
when cold.
● The whitesalt
becomes black on ● Maybe acetate salt.
heating.
● No characteristic
change ● Absence of
carbonate, nitrate,
Nitrite, Chloride,
ammonium and
acetate

5. Flame Test: ● Brick Red colour ● Presence of calcium

A small amount of salt is mixed
with few drops of concentrated
Hcl in a watch glass and
introduced in the non-luminous
part of the Bunsen flame
● Crimson Red colour ● Presence of
● Grassy Green salt. strontium
● No characteristic ● Presence of copper
change ● absence of calcium,
strontium, copper

6. Ash Test: ● Blue Ash ● Presence of

A filter paper is soaked into a ammonium
solution of the salt with ● Presence of iron
concentrated HNO3 and cobalt ● Green Ash ● Presence of
nitrate solution and is burnt ● Pink Ash magnesium
● Absence of
● No characteristic ammonium, Iron,
change magnesium
 IDENTIFICATION OF ACID RADICAL
1. ACTION OF DILUTE HCl: ● Colourless, odourless ● Carbonate is
To a small amount of salt, dilute gas with brisk confirmed.
HCl is added effervescence turning
lime water milky
evolves.
● Sulphate is
● Colourless, rotten
confirmed
eggs smelling gas
turning lead acetate
paper black evolves.
● No characteristic ● Absence of
change. carbonate and
sulphide

2. ACTION OF DILUTE ● Colourless, odourless ● Presence of

H2SO4: gas with brisk carbonate.
A small quantity of the salt is
mixed with 1-2 ml of dilute effervescence.
H2SO4
● Reddish brown gas ● Presence of nitride.
with a pungent smell
turns ferrous sulphate
solution black.
● Absence of
● No characteristic
carbonate and
change
Nitride

3. MANGANESE DI-OXIDE ● Green yellow gas ● Presence of

TEST: ● Yellowish brown chloride
A small amount of the salt is Vapour ● presence of
mixed with MnO2 and ● Violet vapour bromide
concentrated H2SO4 and the ● Presence of Iodide
mixture is heated

● Absence of
 ● No characteristic chloride, bromide
change and iodide

4. COPPER TURNINGS TEST: ● Reddish brown gas ● Presence of nitrate

A small amount of salt is heated evolved.
with copper turnings and ● No reddish brown
concentrated H2SO4 gas.
● absence of nitrate

5. ACTION OF SODIUM ● Pungent smelling gas ● Presence of

HYDROXIDE: gives dense white Ammonium salt
A small amount of the salt is fumes with a glass
heated with sodium hydroxide rod dipped in the
solution conc HCL.
● Absence of
● No pungent smelling
ammonium salt
gas

6. CHROMYL CHLORIDE ● Red orange vapour ● Chloride is

TEST:
A small amount of salt is mixed
with potassium dichromate and
concentrated H2SO4 and the
mixture is heated
evolves which passes confirmed
through lead acetate
solution. Gives yellow
precipitate.

● No characteristic
● Absence of
change
chloride

7. AMMONIUM MOLYBDATE ● Yellow precipitate is ● Confirmed

TEST: obtained. presence of
A small amount of the salt mixed phosphate
with concentrated nitric acid is
heated strongly until
effervescence. Then the contents ● No characteristic
are cooled and ammonium change ● Absence of
 molybdate is added phosphate

8. ESTER TEST: ● Pleasant fruit smell ● Presence of acetate

A small quantity of the salt is obtained.
mixed with concentrated H2SO4.
The mixture is heated gently and
1ml of ethanol is added. The
contents are shaken and poured in
a beaker containing some amount
of water
9. POTASSIUM ● Pink colour of ● Presence of oxalate
PERMANGANATE TEST: potassium ions
To a pinch of salt, add dilute permanganate is
H2SO4 and warm the mixture and decolourised with the
add 2-4 drops of potassium evolution of CO2 gas.
permanganate ● Presence of ferrous
● Pink colour
salt
decolourised without
evolution of any gas
● No characteristic
change ● Absence of oxalate
and Ferrous salt

10. LEAD ACETATE TEST: ● White precipitate ● Presence of

To a few drops of salt solution, soluble in Sulphate
dilute CH3COOH is added until Ammonium acetate
effervescence ceases and 2ml of and Sodium
lead acetate solution is added hydroxide.
● Presence of
● A black precipitate
sulphide
soluble in hot dil.
Nitric acid.
● NO characteristic
● Absence of
change. sulphate and
sulphate

11. SILVER NITRATE TEST: ● Curdy white ● Chloride is

To a few drops of salt solution, precipitate completely
 HNO3 is added until the soluble in excess of confirmed
effervescence ceases and 2ml of ammonium
silver nitrate solution is added hydroxide.
● A black precipitate is
● Presence of
obtained.
sulphide
● No characteristic
● Absence of
change
chloride and
sulphide.

12. BARIUM CHLORIDE TEST: ● White precipitate ● Sulphate is

A few drops of original solution is insoluble in dilute hcl confirmed.
mixed with dilute HCl and Barium is obtained ● Absence of
Chloride Solution ● No white precipitate Sulphate.

13. BROWN RING TEST: ● Brown ring is formed ● Nitrate is

A few drops of salt solution mixed at the junction of 2 confirmed.
with freshly prepared ferrous layers.
sulphate solution. Add a few
drops of concentrated H2SO4 in
the inner side of test tube
14. SODIUM NITROPRUSSIDE ● A purple or violet ● Confirmed
TEST: colour is obtained. presence of
A few drops of the original ● No characteristic sulphide
solution is mixed with sodium change ● Absence of
nitroprusside solution. sulphide.

IDENTIFICATION OF BASIC RADICAL

Preparation of original solution: The original solution is prepared by dissolving a small

amount of salt in 10-15 ml of distilled water. If it is insoluble in water, it is prepared by
dissolving in dilute HNO3.
 EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INFERENCE
1 To a few drops of original ● White PPT, Soluble ● Present the first
solution, dilute HCl is added. when boiled with water group lead.
is obtained.
● No white PPT is
obtained. ● Absence of first
group lead.

2 To a few drops of original ● Black PPT is obtained. ● Presence of

solution, 2ml of dilute HCl is ● No black ppt is obtained. second group
added and H2S gas is passed. (copper).
● Absence of
second group
(copper).

3 To a few drops of original ● Gelatinous white ppt is ● Presence of third

solution, 1 ml of ammonium obtained. group
chloride and 2ml of ammonium (aluminium).
● Reddish brown ppt is
hydroxide are added
obtained. ● Presence of third
● No gelatinous White group (Ferric).
PPT is obtained. ● Absent at third
group
● (Aluminium).

4 To a few drops of original ● Dirty white PPT is ● Presence of

solution 1 ml of ammonium obtained. fourth group
chloride and 2ml of ammonium (Zinc).
● No dirty white ppt is
hydroxide are added and H2S gas
is passed obtained. ● Absence of
fourth group
(zinc).

5 To a few drops of original ● White PPT is obtained. ● Presence of fifth

 solution, 1ml of ammonium ● No white PPT is group ( calcium/
chloride, 2 ml of ammonium obtained. barium).
hydroxide and 2 ml of ● Absence of fifth
ammonium carbonate are added
group (calcium /
barium ).

6 To a few drops of original ● White PPT is obtained. ● Presence of sixth

solution, 2 ml of ammonium ● No white PPT is group.
chloride, 2ml of ammonium (Magnesium)
obtained.
hydroxide and 2 ml of disodium
hydrogen phosphate are added ● Absence of sixth
group
(Magnesium).

7 To a few drops of original ● Reddish brown ppt is ● Presence of 0 th

solution, a few drops of Nessler’s obtained. group
reagent is mixed and excess (ammonium) is
sodium hydroxide solution is
confirmed.
added.

CONFIRMATION OF BASIC RADICAL

1 Confirmation of 1st group Yellow ppt is obtained Lead is confirmed
(Lead):
A few drops of the original
solution is mixed with 2ml of
Potassium iodide.
2 Confirmation of 2nd group Chocolate brown ppt is Copper is confirmed.
(copper): formed
(i) A few drops of original
solution is mixed with acetic acid White ppt is obtained
and Copper is confirmed.
potassium Ferrocyanide solution.

(ii) A few drops of the original

solution is mixed with acetic acid
and Potassium iodide soln.
3 Confirmation of 3rd Group A Bright Red lake is Aluminium is
(Aluminium): obtained. confirmed.

A few drops of original solution

is mixed with 2ml of Ammonium
hydroxide and few drops
of Aluminium reagent
are added.

4 Confirmation of 4th group White/Bluish white ppt soluble Zinc is Confirmed

(Zinc): in excess of sodium hydroxide
and insoluble in dilute HCl is
A few drops of original solution obtained.
is mixed with 2 ml of Potassium
Ferrocyanide solution.
5 Confirmation of 5th Group Yellow ppt is obtained Barium is Confirmed
(Barium):

A few drops of original solution

is mixed with 2 ml of Potassium
chromate solution.
White ppt insoluble in Calcium is confirmed
Confirmation of 5th Group CH3COOH (acetic acid)
(Calcium):
A few drops of the original
solution is mixed with 1ml of
Ammonium hydroxide and 2ml
of Oxalate.

6 Confirmation of 6th Group Blue ppt is obtained Magnesium is

(Magnesium): Confirmed
A few drops of original
Solution is mixed with 2-3 drops
of
Magneson reagent.
 RESULT:

Acid Radical is:

Basic Radical is:
Salt: