Testing for Ammonium Carbonate

  1. Preliminary test 1: observe colour (observation: colourless)

  2. Preliminary test 2: observe odour (observation: pungent smell of ammonia)

  3. Preliminary test 3: Dry heating test

    • make a test tube dry by holding it upside down over a flame for a while

    • put 1 spatula of salt in the test tube

    • hold it over the flame strong

    • observation: sublimate, colourless flame

  4. Preliminary test 4: Solubility test

    • add distilled water only, from the little bottles and stuff

    • pour some in and give the test tube a shake (can cover opening with finger and shake it)

    • observation: is soluble

  5. Test for cation:

    • make salt solution using 1 spatula of salt and some water (i guess it’s not necessary to make a solution of it because you could just add NaOH solution which also contains water, my teacher did it that way)

    • Add some NaOH

    • heat it gently

    • observation: smell of ammonia

    • hold moist litmus paper at the mouth of the test tube that you already have

    • if it turns blue, ammonium is confirmed

  6. Conformatory test for cation:

    • Make salt + water (salt solution)

    • Add 3-4 drops of nessler’s reagent

    • Observation: brown precipitate

  7. Test for anion:

    • put 1 spatula of salt in the test tube.

    • obtain DILUTE sulphuric acid solution, or DILUTE hydrochloric acid, add a little bit

    • Keep face and hands away from the test tube because

    • observation: brisk effervescence (it shoots up and fizzles before settling down again)

  8. Conformatory test for anion:

    • put 1 spatula of salt in the test tube

    • add some distilled water to make salt solution (dissolve the salt first!!)

    • Add Barium chloride solution

    • Observation: white ppt

    • Good

    • Next, add CONCENTRATED hydrochloric acid or DILUTE suphuric acid to the same test tube

    • Observation: brisk effervescence again, ppt dissolves (proves it’s carbonate, if it didn’t dissolve it would be sulphate)