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    6.4 Identifying Positive Ions Teacher

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    Hrisheeta Das
    This document provides instructions for an activity where students will identify positive metal ions through flame tests and reaction with sodium hydroxide. Students will learn to perform and observe the results of these tests to determine which metal ions are present based on flame color or color of precipitate formed. They will also write balanced equations for the reactions and learn limitations of the identification methods. Safety precautions are outlined for the chemicals used.

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    6.4 Identifying Positive Ions Teacher

    Uploaded by

    Hrisheeta Das
    37 views4 pages
    This document provides instructions for an activity where students will identify positive metal ions through flame tests and reaction with sodium hydroxide. Students will learn to perform and observe the results of these tests to determine which metal ions are present based on flame color or color of precipitate formed. They will also write balanced equations for the reactions and learn limitations of the identification methods. Safety precautions are outlined for the chemicals used.

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    6.4 Identifying positive ions teacher

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    This document provides instructions for an activity where students will identify positive metal ions through flame tests and reaction with sodium hydroxide. Students will learn to perform and observe the results of these tests to determine which metal ions are present based on flame color or color of precipitate formed. They will also write balanced equations for the reactions and learn limitations of the identification methods. Safety precautions are outlined for the chemicals used.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    37 views4 pages

    6.4 Identifying Positive Ions Teacher

    Uploaded by

    Hrisheeta Das
    This document provides instructions for an activity where students will identify positive metal ions through flame tests and reaction with sodium hydroxide. Students will learn to perform and observe the results of these tests to determine which metal ions are present based on flame color or color of precipitate formed. They will also write balanced equations for the reactions and learn limitations of the identification methods. Safety precautions are outlined for the chemicals used.

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    You are on page 1of 4

    C12.

    4
    Teacher practical

    Identifying positive Ions


    Specification
     C8.3.1 Flame tests
     C8.3.2 Metal hydroxides
     WS 2.2

    Aims
    In this activity, students carry out two types of tests which can be used to identify
    which positive ion is present in a solution: the flame test and the sodium
    hydroxide test.

    Learning outcomes
    After completing this activity, students should be able to:
     describe and safely carry out a flame test and testing for metal ions using
    sodium hydroxide
     write a word equation and symbol equation for the reaction between
    sodium hydroxide and a specified metal salt solution
     identify a metal ion from the colour of a flame or the colour of the
    hydroxide precipitate
     write balanced symbol equations, including state symbols, for the
    production of insoluble metal hydroxide
     explain why a flame test cannot be used to identify a mixture of metal
    solutions
     evaluate flame tests as a method for identifying positive metal ions
     explain the limitations of these tests
     write balanced ionic equations, including state symbols for the production
    of an insoluble metal hydroxide .

    Teacher notes
    Flame tests work best in a darkened room so that the colour can be seen more
    easily. The lilac colour of potassium is particularly hard to see, and is often
    masked by the yellow colour of the sodium ion (which is often present in
    potassium compounds).
    As an alternative to using nichrome wire (which has to be cleaned using
    concentrated hydrochloric acid), pre-soaked wooden splints can be used (see
    alternative method). This is much safer and works well, though students need to
    be careful not to let the whole splint burn.

    © Oxford University Press 2016 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements


    This resource sheet may have been changed from the original. 1
    C12.4
    Teacher practical

    Details can be found in the RSC resource: wooden splint flame tests
    This practical works well in a circus arrangement with the five solutions arranged
    in stations around the lab.
    The colours can be linked to the colour of fireworks: there are a number of videos
    and other teaching resources on this theme: RSC FireworksResources
    Before students carry out the sodium hydroxide test, it should be stressed that we
    are looking for the colour of the precipitate and whether it dissolves in excess
    sodium hydroxide (students will need reminding what we mean by a precipitate).
    The questions require students to know the formulae of the reactants and
    products: help may be needed for this.
    A good way of helping students understand the reactions is to demonstrate the
    sodium hydroxide test with a variety of different salts with the same metal ion, for
    example copper sulfate, copper chloride and copper nitrate: in each case the
    same blue precipitate is seen, thus showing that the observed reaction is due to
    the positive ion present.
    It is important to stress that students will need to learn the colours of the flames and
    the hydroxide precipitates, and which metal hydroxide dissolves in excess sodium
    hydroxide (see the Task – students will need materials to make revision cards).
    Higher-tier students should be encouraged to write ionic equations for the
    reactions they have observed (see question 2 (b)).
    A short video on ionic equations Ionic Equations is a useful resource for this.

    Results
    Flame Test

    Test Solution Metal Ion Present Colour of Flame


    Lithium chloride Lithium Li+ Crimson
    Sodium chloride Sodium Na+ Yellow
    +
    Potassium chloride Potassium K Lilac
    Calcium chloride Calcium Ca2+ Orange-Red
    Copper (II) chloride Copper Cu2+ Green

    © Oxford University Press 2016 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements


    This resource sheet may have been changed from the original. 2
    C12.4
    Teacher practical

    Sodium Hydroxide Test

    Observation with sodium hydroxide


    Metal Ion
    Test Solution Colour of Does it dissolve in
    Present
    Precipitate excess NaOH?
    Magnesium sulfate, Magnesium
    White precipitate No
    MgSO4 (aq) Mg 2+
    Calcium chloride, Calcium
    White precipitate No
    CaCl2 (aq) Ca2+
    Aluminium sulfate, Aluminium
    Al2(SO4)3 (aq) Al3+
    White precipitate Yes

    Iron (II) sulfate, Iron(II)


    Green precipitate No
    FeSO4 (aq) Fe2+
    Iron (III) chloride, Iron(III)
    Brown precipitate No
    FeCl3 (aq) Fe3+
    Copper (II) sulfate, Copper(II)
    Blue precipitate No
    CuSO4 (aq) Cu2+

    Answers
    1 a It is difficult to distinguish between lithium chloride and calcium chloride,
    because the flame colours are very similar: both are red. (2 marks)
    b It is not possible to identify the metal ions present in a solution containing
    a mixture of sodium chloride and potassium chloride, because the orange
    colour due to sodium masks the pale lilac colour of potassium. (2
    marks)
    2 a i magnesium sulfate sodium hydroxide  magnesium hydroxide
    sodium sulfate
    MgSO4 (aq) 2NaOH (aq)  Mg(OH)2 (s) Na2SO4 (aq)
    ii iron(II) sulfate sodium hydroxide  Iron(II) hydroxide sodium sulfate
    FeSO4 (aq) 2NaOH (aq)  Fe(OH)2 (s) Na2SO4 (aq)
    iii iron(III) chloride sodium hydroxide  Iron(III) hydroxide sodium chloride
    FeCl3 (aq) 3NaOH (aq)  Fe(OH)3 (s) 3NaCl (aq)
    iv copper(II) chloride sodium hydroxide  copper(II) hydroxide sodium chloride
    CuCl2 (aq) 2NaOH (aq)  Cu(OH)2 (s) 2NaCl (aq) (8 marks)
    b Ionic Equations
    Mg2+ (aq) 2OH– (aq)  Mg(OH)2 (s)
    Fe2+ (aq) 2OH– (aq)  Fe(OH)2 (s)
    Fe3+ (aq) 3OH– (aq)  Fe(OH)3 (s)
    Cu2+ (aq) 2OH– (aq)  Cu(OH)2 (s).(8 marks)

    © Oxford University Press 2016 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements


    This resource sheet may have been changed from the original. 3
    C12.4
    Teacher practical

    3 a Add sodium hydroxide to each solution in turn until in excess. All should
    give a white precipitate, but only one of the precipitates dissolves in
    excess NaOH. This tells you which solution is aluminium chloride.
    Carry out a flame test on the remaining two solutions. The one which gives
    an orange-red flame is calcium chloride. The one which gives no colour
    must be magnesium chloride.(3 marks)
    b calcium chloride sodium hydroxide  calcium hydroxide sodium chloride
    CaCl2 (aq) 2NaOH (aq)  Ca(OH)2 (s) 2NaCl (aq). (2 marks)

    Safety
     2 mol/dm3 sodium hydroxide: CORROSIVE- CLEAPSS Hazcard 91A
     Iron (III) chloride: HARMFUL- CLEAPSS Hazcard 55C
     1mol/dm3 iron(II) sulfate solution: HARMFUL- CLEAPSS Hazcard 55B
     1 mol/dm3 copper (II) sulfate solution: HARMFUL- CLEAPSS Hazcard
    27C
     solid lithium chloride: HARMFUL-CLEAPSS Hazcard 47B
     solid calcium chloride: IRRITANT- CLEAPSS Hazcard 19A
     solid copper (II) chloride: HARMFUL- CLEAPSS Hazcard 27A
     Concentrated hydrochloric acid: CORROSIVE- CLEAPSS Hazcard 47A
     Eye protection

    Equipment
    Flame Test Sodium Hydroxide Test
     3
    1 mol/dm lithium chloride solution  0.1 mol/dm3 magnesium sulfate solution
     1 mol/dm3 sodium chloride solution  0.1 mol/dm3 calcium chloride solution- irritant
     1 mol/dm3 potassium chloride solution  0.1 mol/dm3 aluminium sulfate solution
     1 mol/dm3 calcium chloride solution- irritant  0.1 mol/dm3 iron (III) chloride solution- irritant
     1 mol/dm3 copper (II) chloride solution  0.1 mol/dm3 copper (II) sulfate solution- harmful
     nichrome wire mounted in a handle  0.1 mol/dm3 iron(II) sulfate solution- harmful
     concentrated hydrochloric acid- corrosive  0.4 mol/dm3 sodium hydroxide- corrosive
     Bunsen burner  test tubes and rack
     test tubes and rack  droppers

    For Alternative Flame Test Method:


     For each pair: 5 wooden splints pre-soaked in distilled water (instead of a
    nichrome wire and concentrated hydrochloric acid; see RSC resource mentioned
    in the Teacher Notes above), beaker of water

    © Oxford University Press 2016 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements


    This resource sheet may have been changed from the original. 4

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