Required Practical 4 Task Sheet

Pre-practical work should be completed on lined paper (ask if you need some). This sheet
and all pre-practical work should be tagged into your lab-book.

Aim: to carry tests for the presence of cations and anions and to make accurate observations.

Assessment Criteria:

CPAC Not Partiall Mastery

met y met
2b: Carries out techniques or procedures methodically, identifies
issues and makes adjustments
3b: Uses appropriate safety equipment and approaches to
minimise risks with minimal prompting
4a: Makes accurate observations relevant to the experimental or
investigative procedure
4b: Obtains accurate, precise and sufficient data and records this
methodically using appropriate units and conventions
5b: Cites sources of information demonstrating that research has
taken place, supporting planning and conclusions

Pre-practical Tasks:

1. For the tasks below you will need to carry out research. At the end of your pre-practical
tasks you should include a reference list (minimum of 3 references). For websites, you
must write out the full web address and the date that you have accessed these. Cite these
in your work also.
2. Research (I don’t just want the AQA method written out) and write methods (around 4
steps) for the tests outlined below. As well as the key steps involved, you should also
include information on what a positive result would look like.. You may wish to include
labelled diagrams to support your method steps.
3. - Write a risk assessment, using a table format with: hazards, risks and methods to reduce
the risks. Refer to the method to see what chemicals you will be using.
 Test 1: testing for group 2 metal cations with dilute sodium hydroxide.
 Test 2: testing for group 2 metal cations with dilute sulfuric acid.
 Test 3: testing for ammonium ions.
 Test 4: testing for hydroxide ions in aqueous solution.
 Test 5: testing for carbonates in aqueous solution.
 Test 6: testing for sulfate ions in aqueous solution.
 Test 7: testing for halide ions in aqueous solution.
 Test 8: testing for halide ions in solid salts using concentrated sulfuric acid.
4. Draw 4 results tables for each of the following tests: 1, 2, 7 and 8. For the other tests, a
space to write your results in is sufficient. To give you guidance on what this should look
like, an example table for test 1 is shown below.

Barium chloride Calcium Magnesium Strontium

bromide chloride chloride
Initial
10 drops of
0.6moldm-3
NaOH
Excess NaOH