SC18

Technician notes
SC18 Chemical tests

SC18.1rp Flame tests

Safety
Eye protection should be worn. Warn the students that substances on the flame test loop may spit when in
the Bunsen burner flame.
Remind the students to close the Bunsen burner air hole in between tests to give a luminous flame.
Hydrochloric acid and lithium chloride are irritants.

Equipment (per group)

● eye protection ● test-tube rack
● Bunsen burner ● lithium chloride labelled Li+
● heat-resistant mat ● sodium chloride labelled Na+
● flame test loop ● potassium chloride labelled K+
● beaker ● calcium sulfate labelled Ca2+
● 2 mol dm–3 hydrochloric acid ● unknown solids labelled 1–4 and randomly
● test tubes assigned from the four solids above

Method
The method for this practical is given on worksheet SC18.1rp.
Ask students to carry out flame tests on compounds containing Li+, Na+, K+, or Ca2+ ions. Note that Cu2+ is
deliberately left out. This is because its salts are coloured, which gives its identity away before testing. Students
then use flame tests to identify the metal ion present in unknown samples.
You may wish to set each known solid at four or eight stations around the lab to avoid cross-contamination, and
run the first part of the activity as a circus. Once the expected flame test colours have been identified and
agreed, students could then test the four unknown solids. You may wish to provide the solids on watch glasses
rather than in reagent bottles, to reduce the chance and impact of cross-contamination.
Expected results
Lithium salts produce a red flame, sodium salts produce a yellow flame, potassium salts produce a lilac flame
and calcium salts produce an orange-red flame.

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 SC18
Technician notes
SC18.2rp Metal hydroxide precipitate tests

Safety
Eye protection should be worn.
0.4 mol dm–3 sodium hydroxide solution is an irritant (see CLEAPSS Hazcard 91A), so avoid skin contact.

Equipment (per group)

● eye protection ● 0.1 mol dm–3 calcium chloride labelled Ca2+
● dropping pipettes ● 0.1 mol dm–3 copper(II) sulfate labelled Cu2+
● test tubes ● 0.1 mol dm–3 iron(II) sulfate labelled Fe2+
● test-tube rack ● 0.1 mol dm–3 iron(III) nitrate labelled Fe3+
● 0.4 mol dm–3 sodium hydroxide ● unknown solutions labelled 1–5 and randomly
● 0.1 mol dm–3 aluminium nitrate labelled Al3+ assigned from the five labelled solutions above

Method
The method for this practical is given on Worksheet SC18.2rp.
Ask students to carry out hydroxide precipitate tests on solutions containing Al3+, Ca2+, Cu2+, Fe2+ or Fe3+. If a
white precipitate forms, the students should add excess sodium hydroxide solution and record any changes.
Students should use sodium hydroxide solution to identify the metal ion present in unknown samples.
You may wish to set each known solution at five or ten stations around the lab to avoid cross-contamination,
and run the first part of the activity as a circus. Once the expected metal hydroxide precipitate colours have
been identified and agreed, the students could then test five unknown solutions.
Expected results
Copper compounds produce a blue precipitate, iron(II) compounds produce a green precipitate (which turns
brown on standing) and iron(III) compounds produce a brown precipitate. Aluminium compounds and calcium
compounds both produce white precipitates, but only the aluminium hydroxide precipitate reacts with excess
sodium hydroxide solution and disappears to form a colourless solution.

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 SC18
Technician notes
SC18.3rp Identifying anions

Safety
Eye protection should be worn.
Avoid skin contact with the substances used.
Barium chloride solution is harmful.
Dilute nitric acid is an irritant.

Equipment (per group)

● eye protection ● 0.1 mol dm–3 potassium chloride labelled Cl–
● dropping pipettes ● 0.1 mol dm–3 potassium bromide labelled Br–
● test tubes ● 0.1 mol dm–3 potassium iodide labelled I–
● test-tube rack ● 0.1 mol dm–3 sodium sulfate labelled SO42–
● 0.1 mol dm–3 barium chloride ● 0.5 mol dm–3 sodium carbonate labelled CO32–
● 0.05 mol dm–3 silver nitrate ● unknown solutions labelled 1–5 and randomly
● 0.4 mol dm–3 nitric acid assigned from the five labelled solutions above

● 1.0 mol dm–3 hydrochloric acid

Method
The method for this practical is given on Worksheet SC18.3rp.
Students should use: silver nitrate solution to identify Cl–, Br– and I– ions; barium chloride solution to detect
sulfate ions; and dilute acid to detect carbonate ions in sodium carbonate solution via effervescence. They
should then identify the negatively charged ions present in unknown samples.
You may wish to set each known solution at five or ten stations around the lab to avoid cross-contamination,
and run the first part of the activity as a circus. Once the expected results have been identified and agreed
upon, the students could then test the five unknown solutions.
Expected results
Chloride salts produce a white precipitate, bromide salts produce a cream precipitate and iodide salts produce
a yellow precipitate. Sulfate salts produce a white precipitate and carbonate salts produce bubbles of carbon
dioxide gas (which turns limewater milky).

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