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Chemistry
2. WE + acidified K2Cr2O7 2 = sol
3
turns green
3. WE + acidified KMnO4 = pink

Salt Analysis colour of KMnO4 is discharged

4. Sulphide: Colourless gas with a
smell of rotten eggs (H2S); turns
Cheatsheet lead acetate paper black
1. Sodium nitroprusside test: WE
+ sodium nitroprusside 4 =
purple / violet colour
Version 2.0 2. Lead acetate test: WE + lead
acetate 5 (aq) = black ppt
5. Nitrite: Pungent light brown gas
1. Starch-iodide test: WE + dil
FOR CLASS 11 AND 12 H2SO4 (or dil acetic acid); boil,
then add solid KI + fresh
starch sol = deep blue
Only important stuff for CBSE Class colouration
12th Chemistry practical syllabus has
been included, not everything.
Group II (conc H2SO4 group) – Cl-
(chloride), Br- (bromide), I- (iodide),
NO3- (nitrate), CH3COO- (acetate), C2O42-
(oxalate): Salt + conc H2SO4
Anions
1. No reaction: Group II anion not
Test mentioned next to group is the present. Continue to group III.
preliminary test; the ones mentioned
under an anion are confirmatory tests 2. Chloride: Colourless white
for it. pungent fumes (HCl); intensify
when glass rod dipped in NH4OH
is brought near mouth of test
Group I (dilute H2SO4 group) – CO32- tube
(carbonate), SO32- (sulphite), S2- 1. Silver nitrate test: WE +
(sulphide), NO2- (nitrite): Salt + dil AgNO3 = white ppt soluble in
H2SO4 NH4OH
2. Chromyl chloride test: Salt +
1. No reaction: Group I anion not solid K2Cr2O7 + 2-3 drops conc
present. Continue to group II. H2SO4 = orange / red fumes of
chromyl chloride 6
2. Carbonate: Colourless and 1. Vapours + NaOH (aq) =
odourless gas (CO2) yellow solution
1. WE 1 + MgSO4 = white ppt 2. Yellow solution + acetic
acid + lead acetate sol =
3. Sulphite: Colourless gas with yellow ppt
pungent smell 2 Potassium dichromate
1. WE + BaCl2 (aq) = white ppt 3 Solution
soluble in dil HCl 4 Na2[Fe(CN)5NO]
5 Pb(CH3COO)2
1 Water extract: Pinch of salt + water 6 CrO2Cl2

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= white ppt; ppt dissolves

when dil HNO3 is added and
3. Bromide: Reddish brown vapour warmed
1. Silver nitrate test: WE + 2. Potassium permanganate
AgNO3 (aq) = yellow ppt test: Salt + dil H2SO4 + heat;
partially soluble in NH4OH then add 2-3 drops KMnO4 sol
2. Organic layer test: WE + CCl4 = pink colour of KMnO4 is
+ 1 drop conc HNO3 = Upper discharged
layer aqueous; lower layer
organic of orange / brown
colour (bromine is soluble in Group III anions (special group) –
non-polar solvent) SO42- (sulphate), PO43- (phosphate): No
group reagent
4. Iodide: Violet vapours
1. Silver nitrate test: WE + 1. Sulphate:
AgNO3 (aq) = yellow ppt 1. Barium chloride test: WE +
insoluble in NH4OH BaCl2 (aq) = white ppt
2. Organic layer test: WE + CCl4 insoluble in conc HCl
+ 1 drop conc HNO3 = Upper 2. Lead acetate test: WE + lead
layer aqueous; lower layer acetate (aq) + acetic acid =
organic of violet colour (iodine white ppt soluble in
is soluble in non-polar solvent) CH3COONH (ammonium
acetate)
5. Nitrate: Brown fumes with
pungent smell, which intensify on 2. Phosphate:
adding paper pellets (may need 1. Ammonium molybdate test:
heating) WE + dil HNO3 + ammonium
1. Brown ring test: WE + freshly molybdate 7 + boil =
prepared FeSO4 sol + 1 drop crystalline canary yellow ppt
conc HNO3 added along side
of test tube = brown ring
formed at junction of sol and
acid
Cations
6. Acetate: Pungent vapour with
vinegar-like smell ● Group reagent is mentioned next
1. Ester test: Salt + conc H2SO4 to group cations.
+ ethanol = fruity smell of ● Test mentioned next to cation is
ester the preliminary; ones under it
2. Ferric chloride test: WE + are confirmatory tests for it.
FeCl3 (aq) = brick red colour ● When sulphate is detected, Ba2+,
1. Add dil HCl = red colour Ca2+, Pb2+, and Sr2+ are not
disappears present as sulphates of these
2. Add water and boil = radicals are insoluble.
reddish brown ppt ● When phosphate is detected,
cations of group III and later are
7. Oxalate: Colourless gas with absent.
effervescence (CO + CO2)
1. Calcium chloride test: WE +
acetic acid + CaCl2 (aq) + boil 7 (NH4)2MoO4

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Group 0 – NH4+ (ammonium): No 1. If ferrous salt has been given,

group reagent convert to ferric: OS + conc
1. Sodium hydroxide test: Salt + HNO3 + heat = brown ppt;
NaOH = pungent smelling gas; then do reaction with group
gives white fumes when a glass reagent
rod dipped in conc HCl is brought 2. Brown ppt + HCl; then divide
near mouth of test tube into two parts
2. Nessler's reagent 8 test: OS 9 + 1. Potassium ferrocyanide
NaOH + Nessler's reagent = test: Part 1 + K4[Fe(CN)6] =
Brown / yellow ppt blue ppt / colour
2. Potassium thiocyanate
test: Part 2 + KCNS = blood
Group I – Pb2+ (lead): red colour
OS + dil HCl = white ppt; add water,
boil, and divide into three parts 2. Al3+: Gelatinous white ppt
1. Leave OS undisturbed = white 1. Blue lake test: Retain ppt + dil
crystals formed on cooling HCl = clear sol
2. Potassium iodide test: OS + KI = 1. Sol + blue litmus and
yellow ppt NH4OH (drop-by-drop) =
3. Potassium chromate test: OS + blue colour layer ('lake')
K2CrO4 = yellow ppt floats over colourless sol

Group II – Cu2+ (copper): Group IV – Co2+ (cobalt), Ni2+ (nickel),

OS + dil HCl + H2S = black ppt Mn2+ (manganese), Zn2+ (zinc):
OS + solid NH4Cl + excess NH4OH +
1. Throw off extra sol, retain ppt, pass H2S gas
and dissolve in a few drops of
conc HNO3 = bluish green sol, 1. Co2+ / Ni2+: Black ppt; dissolve
ppt dissolves; divide into two ppt in aqua regia 10 and
parts evaporate sol to dryness to get
1. Part 1 + excess NH4OH = blue residue
coloured sol
2. Potassium ferrocyanide test: 1. Co2+: Blue residue; turns
Part 2 + acetic acid + pink / purple when dissolved
K4[Fe(CN)6] = reddish brown / in water; divide into two parts
chocolate coloured ppt (Note – 1. Part 1 + dil acetic acid +
this test is difficult to get) KNO2 + warm = yellow ppt
2. Part 2 + ether (1 mL) +
solid NH4CNS 11 = blue
Group III – Fe2+, Fe3+ (iron), Al3+ colour in ether
(aluminium):
OS + solid NH4Cl + excess NH4OH 2. Ni2+: Yellow residue; turns
green when dissolved in
1. Fe2+ / Fe3+: Note – ferrous salts water; divide into two parts
are green in colour, ferric salts
are brown in colour.
10 Aqua regia: 3 parts conc HCl + 1 part
8 K2HgI4 conc HNO3
9 Original solution: Salt + acid + water 11 Ammonium sulphocyanide

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1. DMG 12 test: Part 1 + Group VI – Mg2+ (magnesium): No

excess NH4OH + DMG = group reagent
bright red ppt OS + NH4Cl + excess NH4OH +
2. Part 2 + NaOH + bromine ammonium phosphate = white ppt
water + boil = black ppt

2. Mn2+: Buff / skin colour ppt; Coloured salts

divide into two parts Colour Inference
1. Part 1 + dil HCl + boil off H2S
+ NaOH = white ppt; which Blue Cupric salts
turns black / brown on adding Green Hydrated nickel
bromine water salts
2. Lead dioxide test: Part 2 +
Rose red Cobalt salts, HgI2
PbO2 + conc HNO3 + boil =
after cooling; pink colouration Light green Ferrous salts
Yellow / brown Ferric salts
3. Zn2+: Greyish white ppt; divide
into two parts Green / blue Hydrated copper
1. Part 1 + excess NaOH = white salts
ppt dissolves Deep blue Anhydrous cobalt
2. Potassium ferrocyanide test: salts
Part 2 + K4[Fe(CN)6] = white /
Pale pink Manganese salts
bluish white ppt
Dark green / Chromic salts
purple
Group V – Ba2+ (barium), Sr2+
(strontium), Ca2+ (calcium):
OS + (NH4)2CO3 + NH4Cl + NH4OH =
white ppt; add dil acetic acid, divide sol
into three parts and test for following
IN ORDER Miscellaneous Notes
1. Ba2+: Part 1 + excess K2CrO4 13
● With Br , most labs only have
-
(aq) = yellow ppt
2. Sr2+: Part 2 + (NH4)2SO4 (aq) = NH4+.
● With Ca , most labs only have
2+
white ppt
3. Ca2+: Part 3 + (NH4)2C2O4 14 (aq) Cl-.
+ NH4OH (only if nothing appears ● Easier way to do flame test: Use
at first) = white ppt test tube holder as tongs, and
4. Flame test: Take salt and make pick up a sizeable chunk of salt
a paste by mixing with conc HCl. with it. Put one drop of conc HCl,
Take paste on tip of glass rod / and put in Bunsen burner flame.
platinum wire, and put in Bunsen ● Do flame test first; if you're lucky
burner flame you'll get your cation early. Most
1. Ba : Green flame
2+
students spend up a lot of time
2. Sr2+: Crimson red flame doing cation test.
3. Ca : Brick red flame
2+

12 Dimethyl glyoxime reagent

13 Potassium chromate
14 Ammonium oxalate

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