A-Level chemistry Praticals

I'm doing a practical were 3 salts X,Y and Z are given as solids and I need to use NaOH to identify the cation. So can I make solutions for X,Y and Z by using water, or would that ruin the experiment as OH ions from the water would react with the metal cation?

If not, how can I make small amounts of these solutions?

Thank you

Reply 1

BankaiGintoki

Original post by zushi1248

I'm doing a practical were 3 salts X,Y and Z are given as solids and I need to use NaOH to identify the cation. So can I make solutions for X,Y and Z by using water, or would that ruin the experiment as OH ions from the water would react with the metal cation?
If not, how can I make small amounts of these solutions?
Thank you

You would dissolve the salt in water. Although H2O + H2O <-> H3O+ + OH-, it is negligible. In addition, the NaOH solution you have been provided with is not NaOH(l), but NaOH (aq) at some concentration.