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Testing for Halides

Halide ions are negatively charged (they are anions). There are 2 steps to halide testing:

Add dilute nitric acid

Add dilute nitric acid

  • Add dilute nitric acid to an unknown solution.
    • This removes carbonate ions. These could disrupt test results by forming a precipitate with the silver ions added in step 2.
Add silver nitrate

Add silver nitrate

  • Add silver nitrate to the same solution.
    • If halide ions are present, they will form a precipitate with the silver ions:
      • Ag+(aq) + Cl-(aq) → AgCl(s) (silver chloride is white)
      • Ag+(aq) + Br-(aq) → AgBr(s) (silver bromide is cream)
      • Ag+(aq) + I-(aq) → AgI(s) (silver iodide is pale yellow)
Jump to other topics
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Organic Chemistry

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