Chloride Sulphate in "L S, B C L, S P A" ? Mnemonic?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Merlin3189
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    solubility
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the mnemonic "L S, B C L, S P A," which helps remember solubility rules for various salts, specifically potassium nitrate salts, chlorides, carbonates, and sulphates. It clarifies that all chlorides are soluble except lead and silver chlorides, while all sulphates are soluble except barium, calcium, and lead sulphates. The mention of "Chloride Sulphate" is identified as a likely typo for "Calcium Sulphate." Participants express challenges in remembering the mnemonic and question its practical utility in real-world applications.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of solubility rules in chemistry
  • Familiarity with ionic compounds and their properties
  • Basic knowledge of chemical reactions involving water
  • Experience with mnemonic devices for memorization
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the solubility rules for ionic compounds in detail
  • Learn about the properties of calcium sulphate and its applications
  • Explore mnemonic techniques for memorizing chemical information
  • Investigate the solubility of salts in different solvents beyond water
USEFUL FOR

Chemistry students, educators, and anyone involved in teaching or learning about solubility rules and ionic compounds.

Merlin3189
Homework Helper
Gold Member
Messages
1,733
Reaction score
824
I came across this in a thread on Na & K carbonates

"Basically, just remember, L S, B C L, S P A
All potassium,nitrate salts are soluble.. however, chlorides,carbonates and sulphates are an exception.For chlorides, all chlorides are soluble except lead chloride and silver chloride..all sulphates are soluble except barium sulphate,chloride sulphate and lead sulphate..for carbonates,sodium,potassium and ammonium carbonate is soluble while the rest are insoluble.. as as sodium and potassium are very reactive when reacted with water due to the reactive series of metals..u can separate sodium and potassium with their solutions by titration, changing them into a oxide or hydroxide... "

I presume the Chloride Sulphate is a typo for Calcium Sulphate? But the thread is not editable.

But secondary question, how do you remember a mnemonic like that? When I read it, I could not at first connect it at all to what followed. Then when I realized it was supposed to be a mnemonic, I had to check it against experience to know whether it was true. It's easy enough to remember these low solubility compounds, because that's what you see when you use them, but how anyone remembers the letters I don't know.

And is it helpful to call these insoluble when Severn Trent / South Staffs supply calcium, carbonate and sulphate ions all in the same solution to my tap?
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
Merlin3189 said:
Chloride Sulphate is a typo for Calcium Sulphate
Probably.
Merlin3189 said:
how do you remember a mnemonic like that?
You'll have to invent your own scurrilous limerick --- or, do what I do --- ignore it.
Merlin3189 said:
is it helpful to call these insoluble
For introductory chemistry courses, maybe. For any other purposes, it's probably better to realize that everything is soluble to some degree in everything else.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
4K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Replies
4
Views
7K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
26K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
6K
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
0
Views
6K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
11K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
7K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K