Chemistry·Qualitative analysis · NSSCO 8.1

Identifying ions in solution

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Chemistry detective work: given an unknown salt, which ions are inside it? Learn the standard NIED tests — sodium hydroxide and ammonia for metal cations, silver nitrate and barium nitrate for anions, and the flame test colours — exactly as they appear in the exam.

What you'll learn in this lesson

By the end you should be able to (NSSCO Chemistry 8.1):

  • Describe tests to identify the cations: aluminium, calcium, ammonium, copper(II), iron(II), iron(III), zinc (using aqueous sodium hydroxide and aqueous ammonia)
  • Describe flame tests for Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Ba²⁺
  • Describe tests to identify the anions: carbonate, chloride, bromide, iodide, nitrate, sulfate
  • Draw conclusions from the results of such tests
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Identifying ions in solution · NSSCO Chemistry · namstudy