Qualitative Analysis Lab

In this experiment, qualitative analysis was used to identify two cations. Lead was identified in Part A, barium was identified in Part B and different flame colors were observed with various metal chloride solutions in Part C. Formula unit, total ionic, and net ionic equations were written for the confirmation reactions for both lead and barium. If this experiment was repeated, barium could be confirmed by the yellow precipitate BaCrO4 after confirming that the solution was clear and any excess contaminants were removed through heating. Step 13 could be omitted.

This experiment resulted in the positive identification of Pb2+ in Part A and Ba2+ in Part B, as well as the observation of different colored flames when testing various metal …show more content…
Balancing a centrifuge means making sure opposing test tubes contain similar volumes of solution and arranging them symmetrically in the centrifuge. A centrifuge must be balanced before use because if it is not, it will become unstable, break the test tubes, and possibly become damaged. Flame tests are simple to conduct and can visually confirm the identity of a metal ion in solution. Since common cation flame colors are known, it would be easy to identify an unknown cation using this method. However, the flame test could be inaccurate if there is more than one cation present in an unknown solution. The flame test is accurate for only pure metal chloride solutions. Any imperfections or cross-contaminations would compromise the results. Furthermore, some cations may have a similar flame color and would need additional testing to