Tests for Gases

 Many reactions in the lab produce gases which then need to be tested
 The table below indicates the tests for the gases you should know:

Flame Tests
 Metal ions produce a colour if heated strongly in a flame
 Ions from different metals produce different colours
 The flame test is thus used to identify metal ions by the colour of the flame they produce
 Dip the loop of an unreactive metal wire such as nichrome or platinum in concentrated acid,
and then hold it in the blue flame of a Bunsen burner until there is no colour change
 This cleans the wire loop and avoids contamination
o This is an important step as the test will only work if there is just one type of ion present
o Two or more ions means the colours will mix, making identification erroneous
 Dip the loop into the solid sample and place it in the edge of the blue Bunsen flame
 Avoid letting the wire get so hot that it glows red otherwise this can be confused with a flame
colour
 Diagram showing the technique for carrying out a flame test

 The colour of the flame is observed and used to identify the metal ion present

Diagram showing the colours formed in the flame test for metal ions
 Tests for Cations
 Metal cations in aqueous solution can be identified by the colour of the precipitate they form on
addition of sodium hydroxide and ammonia
 If only a small amount of NaOH is used then normally the metal hydroxide precipitates

Analysing results

 The table below contains the results for each of the cations included in the syllabus
 If a precipitate is formed from NaOH then the hydroxide is insoluble in water

Testing for Cations Table

Tests for Anions

Testing for Anions Table
 Tests for Water
 Water can be identified using a chemical test and/or a physical test

Chemical test for water

 Anhydrous copper(II) sulfate turns from white to blue on the addition of water
 The equation is:

CuSO4 (s) + 5H2O (l) → CuSO4.5H2O (s)

Copper sulfate turns a light blue colour in the presence of water

Physical test for water

 A physical test to see if a sample of water is pure is to check its boiling point
 A sample of the liquid is placed in a suitable container such as a boiling tube and gently heated
 Using a thermometer, you can check if the boiling point is exactly 100 oC
 Any impurities present will usually tend to raise the boiling point and depress the melting point of pure
substance