Question about Cations and Anions

[DeeDolce]

Hey guys, I'm doing basic chemistry schooling and i'm a little confused about on of my assignment questions...

 

I would love some insight!

 

So the question is:

 

What ions would/would not be easily detected with Silver Nitrate...

 

In the prac, I mixed the AgNo3 with the anions, so would I assume that mixing the AgNo3 with anions is preferable because

the silver forms a visable precipitate where it wouldnt with a Cation?

 

Im not sure how the positive and negatives factor here... I understand the AgNo3 is an ionic compound + and -

 

and the anions are -

 

But we used ionic compounds for the Cations too (NaOH and NH4OH)

 

I'm just lost as to why AgNo3 in particular would be better specifically for ions..

 

sorry if im all over the place, im new to chem!

 

Dee

[elementcollector1]

The cations matter only if they form insoluble nitrates. Assuming you're using Group I or II compounds, that shouldn't happen.

AgNO3 is a good test for different anions because it forms easily distinguished compounds for each anion (AgCl, Ag2CO3, AgOH, etc.), and these are usually insoluble (precipitate out of solution).

To find what ions would not be easily detected, look up different silver compounds of the anions you're using and their solubilities. If the material is soluble to a reasonable degree, the test would not work, or at best would work poorly. If the material is completely insoluble, a precipitate should form and be identified.