Year 12 Chemistry Chemical Monitoring and Management

Ion Testing
Cation
Barium/Calcium
(2+ , 2+ )

Test Used
-Add 5-10drops of 1mol/L sulphuric acid
Confirmation
*Add sodium fluoride solution
*Conduct flame test

Lead (2+ )

-Add 5 drops of dilute HCl

Result/Colour Change/Equation
-White precipitate forms
2+ + 42 4
2+ + 42 4
*White precipitate confirms calcium, lack of
suggests barium.
*Calcium burns brick red. Barium burns
yellow/green.
- Faint white precipitate indicates lead ions
2+ + 2 2

Confirmation: Add sodium iodide solution

Copper (2+ )

- Add 1mol/L NaOH.

Confirmation:
*Add ammonia solution.
*Conduct flame test

Iron ( 2+ /
3+ )

Anion
Carbonate 32

- Add 1mol/L of NaOH

Confirmation:
*Add 10 drops of 4mol/L HCl
*Remove two drops of solution to a
white tile and add potassium
hexacyanoferrate (III) reagent
*Add two other drops on a white tile and
add a drop of potassium thiocyanate.
Test Used
-Add 2mol/L nitric acid into solution
Confirmation: Test with universal pH
paper.

Sulfate 42

-Add nitric acid to acidify. Add barium

nitrate solution

- Yellow precipitate forms

+ +
- Blue precipitate forms from original blue/green
solution.
2+ + 2 ()2
*Precipitate dissolves to turn solution deep blue.
() + ( )+ +
*Green flame
- A brown precipitate ( 3+ )
- A green or white precipitate ( 2+ )
3+ + 3 ()3
2+ + 2 ()2
*Dark blue colour (+ )
+ + ()
(() )
*Blood red colour (+ )
+ + +
Result/Colour Change/Equation
-effervescence of a colourless gas(2 ). Test with
lime water.
32 + 2 2 + 2
-pH of 8-11

+ +
-a white precipitate sulphate forms
42 + 2+ 4
-white precipitate of lead forms

Phosphate
43

Confirmation: add Lead(III) nitrate

solution to acidified solution.
-Alkalise with ammonia solution. Add
barium nitrate.

*A yellow precipitate, ammonium

phosphomolybdate forms
( )
*A blue complex, molybdenum blue, forms.
Intensity of blue correlates to phosphate content.

Chloride

Confirmation:
* Add ammonium molybdite solution to
acidified solution. Warm gently.
* Acidify solution with 5mol/L sulphuric
acid. Add ammonium molybdate and
ascorbic acid.
-Acidify solution with nitrate solution
Confirmation: add 1-2ml of 10% ammonia
solution and heat

-A white precipitate forms.

233 + 32+ 3 (4 )2

-White precipitate, silver chloride forms

+ +
-White precipitate dissolves

Year 12 Chemistry Chemical Monitoring and Management

Separating Cation Mixtures

Issues with Tests

Lead and Calcium: Calcium sulfate and lead chloride are partially soluble precipitate. Because of this, if the
solution is too dilute, they will fail to precipitate. If no precipitate forms after all tests, then Lead or calcium is
present.
o Confirm lead with iodide to form a yellow precipitate
o Confirm calcium with sodium fluoride to form a white precipitate
Iron(II) and Iron(III): Iron(II) forms a green precipitate however it oxidizes quickly and can turn brown, making
it hard to distinguish between Iron(II) and Iron(III), therefore the KSCN and Potassium Permanganate solution
is added.
Flame Test should always be the final test due to the possible presence of lead. Recall lead is a highly toxic
heavy metal.

Year 12 Chemistry Chemical Monitoring and Management

Separating Anion Mixtures

Issues with Tests

Carbonate: cannot be tested by a precipitate test because it precipitates with basically any cation (including
those used for sulfates, phosphate and chloride
Sulfate and Phosphate: Barium precipitates with both sulfate and phosphate depending on the acidity. In a
dilute acid environment, sulfate ions are released from the Hydrogen Sulfate ion. These sulfate ions are then
free to precipitate with Barium.
o This occurs due to the difference in acidic strength of Hydrogen Phosphate and Hydrogen Sulfate.
Hydrogen Phosphate is so weak such that there are not enough phosphate ions to precipitate.
o By adding ammonia, the low concentration of hydronium ions pushes more Hydronium and
Phosphate ions to be released which can then precipitate.
42 + 2 3 + + 43

Flame Test

A flame test is another suitable test for cations. It involves burning the ion in a heating flame.
It is important that the platinum wire is cleaned thoroughly using hydrochloric acid.
Colours
o Lithium: Dull Red
o Strontium: Deep red
o Sodium: Yellow
o Barium: Pale Green
o Potassium: Light Purple
o Copper: Blue Green
o Calcium: Brick-red (orange red)

Year 12 Chemistry Chemical Monitoring and Management

Questions
1. Describe tests to determine whether a solution of a pure substance contained:
a. Lead Nitrate or Barium Nitrate

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b. Copper Sulfate or Iron(II) Sulfate

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c. Calcium Chloride or Iron(II) Chloride

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d. Iron(II) Sulfate or Iron(III) Sulfate

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e. Barium Nitrate or Copper Nitrate

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f.

Sodium Chloride and Sodium Sulfate

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g. Potassium Chloride and Potassium Phosphate

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h. Sodium Carbonate and Sodium Hydroxide

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i.

Ammonium Phosphate and Ammonium Sulfate

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j.

Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Sulfate and Sodium Phosphate

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Year 12 Chemistry Chemical Monitoring and Management

2.

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3. Would sodium carbonate solution be a suitable reagent for deciding which cation was present in a solution?
Explain.

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4. Which cation is present in the following solutions

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Year 12 Chemistry Chemical Monitoring and Management

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5.

6. Identify the Cation in P, Q, R, S, T from the following results

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7. A solution was known to contain one pure substance. Describe tests you would perform to determine which
of the ions Fe2+, Ca2+, SO42-, Cl- were in the solution

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Year 12 Chemistry Chemical Monitoring and Management

8.

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9.

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10. Identfiy the cation present in a solution that. Explain with observations and equations.
a. Formed a white precipitate with sodium sulfate but not with sodium chloride solution and which a
flame test coloured green

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Year 12 Chemistry Chemical Monitoring and Management

b. Formed a precipitate with sodium carbonate solution but not with sodium chloride, sulfate or
hydroxide and which in a flame test coloured flame orange-red

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c. Was pale blue and gave a precipitate with sodium hydroxide and which in a flame test gave the flame
a green colour

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11. Two solutions, each containing one unidentified cation each gave no precipitate with sodium hydroxide,
hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid or sodium carbonate. When flame tests were performed, one solution
coloured the flame lilac while the other coloured it red. Which cation is present in each solution? Justify your
answer.

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12.A third solution containing one cation, gave the same negative tests, but the flame test for this was also
negative. What is the cation in this solution? Explain what further test could you perform to verify your
conclusion?

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