How were cations divided into groups for salt analysis?

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Salt analysis categorizes cations into six groups based on their chemical properties and solubilities. The division into groups is rooted in experimental observations of how different metals react to form precipitates, particularly through their sulfides and sulfates. Only specific metals precipitate in each group due to their unique solubility characteristics; for instance, certain metals form insoluble sulfides while others do not. This grouping is a result of systematic testing of various salts to determine which cations can be separated based on their solubility in specific reagents. The analytical procedures were then developed to exploit these solubility differences, allowing for effective identification and separation of cations during analysis.
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How does salt analysis work? How did they divide cations into these 6 groups?
I'm confused over things like:- In a group we precipitate metals through their sulphides - but only few of the metals precipitate - why only specific emtals precipitate. Then in another group we precipitate metals as sulphates, again only specific metals precipitate

Why is this? How on Earth did they divide cations into such groups?
 
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First, they experimentally checked solubilities of salts. Then, they designed analytical procedure based on this knowledge.
 

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