Identify Bottles: Lead Nitrate, HCl, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Carbonate

[TT0]

Homework Statement

Identify the bottles

2. Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

Bottle 1 is lead nitrate as lead is the only metal that will form a precipitate with the other anions.

Bottle 3+4 = copper sulfate + sodium carbonate -- because it produces blue precipitate

Bottle 2+3 = hydrochloric acid + sodium carbonate -- as acid + metal = salt + hydrogen gas.

This means sodium carbonate is bottle 3, hydrochloric acid is bottle 2, and copper sulfate is bottle 4. Can someone check this?

If this is correct, out of interest, why doesn't hydrogen gas evolve when HCl is added to lead nitrate and copper(II) sulfate?

Cheers!

 

[Merlin3189]

2+3 : Sodium carbonate is not a metal and the gas is not hydrogen.
That should also explain why HCl does not produce a gas with PbNO₃ or CuSO₄

 

[TT0]

I see, I forgot. CO₂ and water are evolved, not H₂! Other than that, is the rest of the answers correct?

Cheers!

 

[Merlin3189]

If I have deduced correctly from your statements, you are saying;
1 - PbNO₃
2 -HCl
3- Na₂CO₃
4 - CuSO₄

So that means;
1 & 2 is lead nitrate + HCl -> white precipitate of
1 & 3 is lead nitrate + sodium carbonate -> white precipitate of
1 & 4 is lead nitrate + copper sulphate -> white precipitate of
2 & 3 is HCl + sodium carbonate -> gas produced = CO₂
2 & 4 is HCl + copper sulphate -> no visible reaction
3 & 4 is sodium carbonate + copper sulphate -> blue precipitate of
all plausible, so you are correct.
You could write out the equations for each, apart from the no reaction, if you wanted to make clear what was happening.

 

[TT0]

I see, cheers!