Give a chemical test to distinguish between the following pairs of chemicals

Give a chemical test to distinguish between the following pairs of chemicals:

1. Lead nitrate solution and Zinc nitrate solution
2. Sodium chloride solution and Sodium nitrate solution

Answer

1. By adding ammonium hydroxide in excess. Lead nitrate solution gives a white precipitate while Zinc Nitrate solution gives a colourless solution.
2. By adding silver nitrate / lead nitrate solution. Sodium chloride gives a white precipitate while sodium nitrate gives no precipitate / colourless solution / remains unchanged.

• Exam Year: 2018