In this practical activity, test tube reactions of copper(II), iron(II), iron(III) and aluminium ions with three bases are investigated
10 drops of the metal-aqua ion are added to a clean dry test tube
10 drops of 1.0 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide solution are added, the test tube shaken and any observations noted
A further 10 drops of the base are added so that the base is in excess and any additional observations are recorded
The procedure is repeated with 1.0 mol dm-3 ammonia solution and then 1.0 mol dm-3 sodium carbonate solution
The reactions of metal-aqua ions with bases table
It is important to use the correct vocabulary in your observations when referring to solutions and precipitates as well as mentioning further changes on addition of an excess reagent
Some changes take place over the course of a few minutes so its best not to dispose of the contents of test tubes right away, but return to them for another look
The identities of the precipitates and the equations for the reactions are covered in a previous section on metal-aqua ions