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Silver (Ag) Precipitates and Complexes

  • Page ID
    131425
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    Required Training

    Required PPE

    UC Lab Safety Fundamentals

    Lab coat, safety glasses/goggles,

    nitrile gloves

    Equipment

    Chemicals

    Large evaporating dish

    water

    Large stir rod

    0.1 M AgNO3

    Stir plate

    1 M NaHCO3

    Clean white paper for a background

    6 M NaOH

    1 M NaCl

    6 M NH4OH

    1 M KBr

    1M Na2S2O3

    KI

    Procedure:

    1. In a medium evaporating dish, mix 100 mL water with 3 mL of 0.1 M AgNO3 and add in the order listed below while stirring:
    2. Add 5 mL 1 M NaHCO3 (mw=84) forming the white precipitate Ag2CO3
    3. Add 3 mL 6 M NaOH (mw=40) forming the brown precipitate Ag2O
    4. Add 1 mL 1 M NaCl (mw=58) forming the white precipitate AgCl
    5. Add 3 mL 6 M NH4OH (mw=35) forming a clear solution
    6. Add 0.5 mL 1 M KBr (mw=119) forming a white to light yellow precipitate AgBr
    7. Add 1 mL 1M Na2S2O3 (mw=248) forming a clear solution
    8. Add 0.5 mL fresh, colorless KI (mw=166) to form a yellow precipitate AgI

    Hazards:

    Dispose of chemicals promptly to avoid a detonation/explosion hazard. Silver nitrate can stain skin black for days—If any solutions, especially the 6M bases, are spilled on one's self, wash the affected area for at least 15 minutes.

    Discussion:

    A precipitation reaction occurs when a precipitant causes a chemical to fall out of solution. The remaining solution is called a supernate or supernatant. A very important stage in precipitation is the onset of nucleation. The creation of a solid particle includes the formation of a solid-solution interface, which requires energy based on the relative surface energy of the solid and the solution. If this energy is not available, and not a nucleation site available, supersaturation occurs.

    SOP: clipboard_e5165eb260149d2b804bc80a4cf5d4b31.pngclipboard_eb132fa919f8815854161b1d6bedc074f.pngclipboard_e51eb1ffd5414e0eadabd22bc8b71583f.png

    Acutely Toxic Material – Silver Nitrate

    Corrosive: Ammonium Hydroxide, Silver Nitrate, Sodium Hydroxide

    Strong Oxidizer – Silver Nitrate

    Disposal (by Storeroom):

    This demo requires special waste disposal. Bring to storeroom for proper disposal


    Silver (Ag) Precipitates and Complexes is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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