What precipitate/s forms when mixing copper(ii) sulfate and lead(ii) nitrate and sodium chloride?

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Sometimes, ions in solution may react with each other to form a new substance that is insoluble. This is called a precipitate. The reaction is called a precipitation reaction.

Precipitate

A precipitate is the solid that forms in a solution during a chemical reaction.

To investigate the reactions of ions in solutions.

4 test tubes; copper(II) chloride solution; sodium carbonate solution; sodium sulphate solution

Prepare 2 test tubes with approximately \(\text{5}\) \(\text{mL}\) of dilute copper(II) chloride solution in each
Prepare 1 test tube with \(\text{5}\) \(\text{mL}\) sodium carbonate solution
Prepare 1 test tube with \(\text{5}\) \(\text{mL}\) sodium sulphate solution
Carefully pour the sodium carbonate solution into one of the test tubes containing copper(II) chloride and observe what happens
Carefully pour the sodium sulphate solution into the second test tube containing copper(II) chloride and observe what happens

A light blue precipitate forms when sodium carbonate reacts with copper(II) chloride.
No precipitate forms when sodium sulphate reacts with copper(II) chloride. The solution is light blue.

It is important to understand what happened in the previous demonstration. We will look at what happens in each reaction, step by step.

For reaction 1 you have the following ions in your solution: \(\text{Cu}^{2+}\), \(\text{Cl}^{-}\), \(\text{Na}^{+}\) and \(\text{CO}_{3}^{2-}\). A precipitate will form if any combination of cations and anions can become a solid. The following table summarises which combination will form solids (precipitates) in solution.

Salt	Solubility
Nitrates	All are soluble
Potassium, sodium and ammonium salts	All are soluble
Chlorides, bromides and iodides	All are soluble except silver, lead(II) and mercury(II) salts (e.g. silver chloride)
Sulphates	All are soluble except lead(II) sulphate, barium sulphate and calcium sulphate
Carbonates	All are insoluble except those of potassium, sodium and ammonium
Compounds with fluorine	Almost all are soluble except those of magnesium, calcium, strontium (II), barium (II) and lead (II)
Perchlorates and acetates	All are soluble
Chlorates	All are soluble except potassium chlorate
Metal hydroxides and oxides	Most are insoluble

Table 18.1: General rules for the solubility of salts

Salts of carbonates, phosphates, oxalates, chromates and sulphides are generally insoluble.

If you look under carbonates in the table it states that all carbonates are insoluble except potassium sodium and ammonium. This means that \(\text{Na}_{2}\text{CO}_{3}\) will dissolve in water or remain in solution, but \(\text{CuCO}_{3}\) will form a precipitate. The precipitate that was observed in the reaction must therefore be \(\text{CuCO}_{3}\). The balanced chemical equation is:

\[2\text{Na}^{+}\text{(aq)} + \text{CO}_{3}^{2-}\text{(aq)} + \text{Cu}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + 2\text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow \text{CuCO}_{3}\text{(s)} + 2\text{Na}^{+}\text{(aq)} + 2\text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)}\]

Note that sodium chloride does not precipitate and we write it as ions in the equation. For reaction 2 we have \(\text{Cu}^{2+}\), \(\text{Cl}^{-}\), \(\text{Na}^{+}\) and \(\text{SO}_{4}^{2-}\) in solution. Most chlorides and sulphates are soluble according to the table. The balanced chemical equation is:

\[2\text{Na}^{+}\text{(aq)} + \text{SO}_{4}^{2-}\text{(aq)} + \text{Cu}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + 2\text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow 2\text{Na}^{+}\text{(aq)} + \text{SO}_{4}^{2-}\text{(aq)} + \text{Cu}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + 2\text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)}\]

Both of these reactions are ion exchange reactions.

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We often want to know which ions are present in solution. If we know which salts precipitate, we can derive tests to identify ions in solution. Given below are a few such tests.

Prepare a solution of the unknown salt using distilled water and add a small amount of silver nitrate solution. If a white precipitate forms, the salt is either a chloride or a carbonate.

\[\text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)} + \text{Ag}^{+}\text{(aq)} + \text{NO}_{3}^{-}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow \text{AgCl (s)} + \text{NO}_{3}^{-}\text{(aq)}\]

(AgCl is white precipitate)

\[\text{CO}_{3}^{2-}\text{(aq)} + 2\text{Ag}^{+}\text{(aq)} + 2\text{NO}_{3}^{-}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow \text{Ag}_{2}\text{CO}_{3}\text{(s)} + 2\text{NO}_{3}^{-}\text{(aq)}\]

(\(\text{Ag}_{2}\text{CO}_{3}\) is white precipitate)

The next step is to treat the precipitate with a small amount of concentrated nitric acid. If the precipitate remains unchanged, then the salt is a chloride. If carbon dioxide is formed and the precipitate disappears, the salt is a carbonate.

\[\text{AgCl (s)} + \text{HNO}_{3}\text{(l)} \rightarrow \text{ no reaction, precipitate is unchanged}\] \[\text{Ag}_{2}{CO}_{3}\text{ (s)} + 2\text{HNO}_{3}\text{(l)} \rightarrow 2\text{Ag}^{+}\text{(aq)} + 2\text{NO}_{3}^{-}\text{(aq)} + \text{H}_{2}\text{O (l)} + \text{CO}_{2}\text{ (g) precipitate disappears}\]

As was the case with the chlorides, the bromides and iodides also form precipitates when they are reacted with silver nitrate. Silver chloride is a white precipitate, but the silver bromide and silver iodide precipitates are both pale yellow. To determine whether the precipitate is a bromide or an iodide, we use chlorine water and carbon tetrachloride (\(\text{CCl}_{4}\)).

Chlorine water frees bromine gas from the bromide and colours the carbon tetrachloride a reddish brown.

\[2\text{Br}^{-}\text{(aq)} + \text{Cl}_{2}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow 2\text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)} + \text{Br}_{2}\text{(g)}\]

Chlorine water frees iodine gas from an iodide and colours the carbon tetrachloride purple.

\[2\text{I}^{-}\text{(aq)} + \text{Cl}_{2}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow 2\text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)} + \text{I}_{2}\text{(g)}\]

Add a small amount of barium chloride solution to a solution of the test salt. If a white precipitate forms, the salt is either a sulfate or a carbonate.

\[\text{SO}_{4}^{2-}\text{(aq)} + \text{Ba}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + \text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow \text{BaSO}_{4}\text{(s)} + \text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)}\]

(\(\text{BaSO}_{4}\) is a white precipitate)

\[\text{CO}_{3}^{2-}\text{(aq)} + \text{Ba}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + \text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow \text{BaCO}_{3}\text{(s)} + \text{Cl}^{-}\text{(aq)}\]

(\(\text{BaCO}_{4}\) is a white precipitate)

If the precipitate is treated with nitric acid, it is possible to distinguish whether the salt is a sulphate or a carbonate (as in the test for a chloride).

\[\text{BaSO}_{4}\text{(s)} + \text{HNO}_{3}\text{(l)} \rightarrow \text{ no reaction, precipitate is unchanged}\] \[\text{BaCO}_{3}\text{(s)} + 2\text{HNO}_{3}\text{(l)} \rightarrow \text{Ba}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + 2\text{NO}_{3}^{-}\text{(aq)} + \text{H}_{2}\text{O (l)} + \text{CO}_{2}\text{(g) precipitate disappears}\]

If a sample of the dry salt is treated with a small amount of acid, the production of carbon dioxide is a positive test for a carbonate.

\[2\text{HCl} + \text{K}_{2}\text{CO}_{3}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow \text{CO}_{2}\text{(g)} + 2\text{KCl (aq)} + \text{H}_{2}\text{O (l)}\]

If the gas is passed through limewater (an aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide) and the solution becomes milky, the gas is carbon dioxide.

\[\text{Ca}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + 2\text{OH}^{-}\text{(aq)} + \text{CO}_{2}\text{(g)} \rightarrow \text{CaCO}_{3}\text{(s)} + \text{H}_{2}\text{O (l)}\]

(It is the insoluble \(\text{CaCO}_{3}\) precipitate that makes the limewater go milky)

Textbook Exercise 18.2

Silver nitrate (\(\text{AgNO}_{3}\)) reacts with potassium chloride (\(\text{KCl}\)) and a white precipitate is formed.

Write a balanced equation for the reaction that takes place. Include the state symbols.
What is the name of the insoluble salt that forms?
Which of the salts in this reaction are soluble?

Solution not yet available

Barium chloride reacts with sulphuric acid to produce barium sulphate and hydrochloric acid.

Write a balanced equation for the reaction that takes place. Include the state symbols.
Does a precipitate form during the reaction?
Describe a test that could be used to test for the presence of barium sulphate in the products.

Solution not yet available

A test tube contains a clear, colourless salt solution. A few drops of silver nitrate solution are added to the solution and a pale yellow precipitate forms. Chlorine water and carbon tetrachloride were added, which resulted in a purple solution. Which one of the following salts was dissolved in the original solution? Write the balanced equation for the reaction that took place between the salt and silver nitrate.