C8: Chemical analysis Flashcards
How would you tell whether a substance is pure?
- Testing the melting/boiling point. If not what expected, it is a mixture.
- For an ink/dye, chromatography can be used
What are formulations?
Mixtures, designed to be useful products, made by mixing the components in exact quantities.
E.g. fuels, cleaning agents, paints, medicines, alloys, fertilisers and foods.
What is chromatography used for?
Can be used to separate mixtures (inks/dyes) and can give information to help identify substances.
What are the mobile and stationary phases in chromatography?
- Mobile phase = solvent (bc it moves up the paper).
- Stationary phase = pencil line (it doesn’t move).
Practical
Explain how paper chromatography can be used to separate mixtures.
- Draw a line near the bottom of a sheet of filter paper in pencil (since it’s insoluble).
- Add a spot of ink to this line.
- Place the sheet in a beaker of solvent (depends on what’s being tested), making sure the ink doesn’t touch the solvent.
- Put a lid on the container to stop the solvent evaporating.
- The mobile phase (solvent) seeps up the paper, carring the ink with it.
- Each dye within the ink moves up the paper at a different rate; the dyes separate out into spots.
- If any of the dyes are insoluble, they stay on the stationary phase (pencil line).
- When the solvent has nearly reached the top, the paper is taken out and allowed to dry; the result is a chromatogram.
How would you calculate Rf value in chromatography?
distance moved by substance / distance moved by solvent
How would you test for hydrogen?
- Hold a burning splint over a test tube of the gas
- Positive result: burns rapidly and makes a “pop” sound
How would you test for oxygen?
- Insert a glowing splint into a test tube of the gas
- Positive result: the splint relights
How would you test for carbon dioxide?
- Use an aqueous solution of calcuim hydroxide (limewater)
- Bubble the gas through the limewater
- Positive result: limewater goes cloudy/milky
How would you test for chlorine?
- Place damp litmus paper into the gas
- Positive result: litmus paper turns white (is bleached)
Practical
How would you carry out a flame test?
- Clean a nichrome wire loop by dipping into hydrochloric acid, holding over a blue bunsen burner flame and redipping in the acid.
- Dip the loop into the metal compound being tested.
- Hold the loop in the flame and record the colour to identify the ion.
• Only works with one type of ion in the sample, because some flame colours may be masked in mixtures
What colour flame is produced by heating lithium ions?
Crimson
What colour flame is produced by heating sodium ions?
Yellow
What colour flame is produced by heating potassium ions?
Lilac
What colour flame is produced by heating calcium ions?
Orange-red (scarlet)