Chemical Analysis Flashcards
How can you test for carbonates?
Dilute Acid.
- Using a pipette, add a few drops of dilute acid to the mystery substance.
- Connect this to a test tube containing limewater.
- If carbonate ions are present, the acid will produce carbon dioxide turning the limewater cloudy.
What happens to the limewater when dilute acid is added to a solution containing carbonate ions?
It turns cloudy.
What ions are in carbonates?
CO3 2-
How do you test for sulfates?
Barium Chloride.
- Using a pipette, add a couple drops of dilute hydrochloric acid followed by a few drops of barium chloride to the test tube containing the mystery substance.
- If sulfate ions are present, a white precipitate of barium sulfate will form.
Why is hydrochloric acid added with barium chloride when testing for sulfates?
To get rid of any traces of carbonate ions before testing as carbonate ions will also produce a precipitate, so they’d confuse the results.
How do you test for halides?
- Add a couple drops of dilute nitric acid followed by a couple drops of silver nitrate solution.
Chloride ions - white precipitate (silver chloride)
Bromide ions - cream precipitate (silver bromide)
Iodide - yellow precipitate (silver iodide)
What is the ion formula for sulfate ions?
SO4 2-
What type of ions do flame tests, test for?
Cations.
What type of ions does dilute acid, barium chloride and silver nitrate solution test for?
Anions.
How does a flame test work?
- Clean a nichrome or platinum wire loop by rubbing with fine emery paper, then hold it in the blue flame of a bunsen burner. The bunsen flame might change colour, but once its blue again, the loop is clean.
- Dip the loop into the sample you want to test and then put it back into the bunsen flame. Record the colour of the flame.
- Use the colours to detect and identify different ions.
What is a disadvantage of a flame test?
It only works for samples that contain a single metal ion.
Name the colour of the flame produced by the following metal ions:
Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Copper.
Lithium ions Li+ —> crimson
Sodium ions Na+ —> yellow
Potassium ions K+ —> lilac
Calcium ions Ca2+ —> orange-red
Copper ions Cu2+ —> green
What is a pure substance?
Something that only contains one compound or element throughout.
What tells you how pure a substance is?
The boiling or melting point
How can you test how pure a substance is?
Compare the boiling or melting point of a sample with the boiling or melting point of the pure substance. The closer the measure value is to the actual value, the purer your sample.