Help identifying unknown chemicals.

[Bhajack]

I have 9 white solids which i need to identify. Aluminium ocide (Al2O3), Calcium Oxide (CaO), Sodium dithionite (Na2S2O4), aluminium sulphate ( Al2(SO4)3 ), Ammonium sulphate (NH4)2SO4, calcium nitrate ( Ca(NO3)2 ), Magnesium sulphate (MgSO4), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), Sodium thiosulphate (Na2S2O3), Zinc carbonate (ZnCO3).

The reagents i have are: water, Hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, silver nitrate solution, ammonium hydroxide and barium chloride.

Any ideas on how to single a few out would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Simon Bridge]

Welcome to PF;
You want to start by fuguring what the reactions of each of them with each of the reagents would be.
i.e. do any of them look like they should dissolve in water?

 

[Tearsandrille]

I find sometimes it is easiest to turn this into a branching diagram. You keep creating new branches until you are left with the one compound. Like Simon said, find out what they react with and go from there. Your first branch could be "Does it dissolve in water".

 

[Simon Bridge]

A lot of those compounds are in materials databases - you can look up how they react with the different reagents.
Then it's mostly an exercise in logic.

Since it's been almost a month without feedback I guess the exercise is over and I wasn't really all that much help.

 

[DeeNos]

I can suggest several methods for identifying the unknown chemicals provided. Firstly, a visual inspection of the physical properties of the solids, such as color, texture, and solubility, can help narrow down the possibilities. For example, aluminium oxide and calcium oxide are both white solids, but aluminium oxide is insoluble in water while calcium oxide is highly soluble.

Next, conducting simple chemical tests can help identify specific compounds. For instance, adding hydrochloric acid to a solid and observing the formation of bubbles indicates the presence of a carbonate compound, such as zinc carbonate. Similarly, adding silver nitrate solution can help identify the presence of chloride ions, which would be present in sodium chloride if it is one of the unknown solids.

Furthermore, conducting flame tests can help identify the presence of certain elements. For example, burning a small amount of the solid on a flame and observing the color of the flame can indicate the presence of sodium (yellow), calcium (red), or magnesium (bright white).

Another useful method is to perform qualitative analysis using reagents such as ammonium hydroxide and barium chloride. These reagents can react with specific compounds to produce precipitates or color changes, which can aid in identification.

In addition, performing spectroscopic techniques, such as infrared spectroscopy or mass spectrometry, can provide more precise identification of the unknown solids.

Overall, a combination of these methods can help narrow down the possibilities and identify the unknown chemicals. It is important to follow proper safety protocols and use appropriate equipment when conducting these experiments.