Does cation cause color?
While usually cations dictate the colour, anions are also known to create colourful flames. The reason usually cations produce colour is that the wavelength of the emitted photon happens to be in the visible spectrum – the above process occurs for all types of atoms; it’s just that we can’t see a lot of them.
What is the colour of anion?
Tests for anions

Anion | Colour of the precipitate | Ionic equation |
---|---|---|
chloride ion, Cl – | white | Ag +(aq) + Cl -(aq) → AgCl(s) |
bromide ion, Br – | cream | Ag +(aq) + Br -(aq) → AgBr(s) |
iodide ion, I – | yellow | Ag +(aq) + I -(aq) → AgI(s) |
What are the 5 groups of cations?
18.9: Qualitative Cation Analysis
- Learning Objectives.
- Group 1: Insoluble Chlorides.
- Group 2: Acid-Insoluble Sulfides.
- Group 3: Base-Insoluble Sulfides (and Hydroxides)
- Group 4: Insoluble Carbonates or Phosphates.
- Group 5: Alkali Metals.
How do you identify a cation?
What is Cation Testing?

- Flame Test. . The Flame test involves exposing the compound to a flame and identifying the compound by the flame color produced.
- Sodium Hydroxide Test. . This test uses sodium hydroxide or aqueous ammonia to test and identify metal ions by the precipitation formed.
Why do cations emit colors when heated?
Explanation: Heating an atom excites its electrons and they jump to higher energy levels. When the electrons return to lower energy levels, they emit energy in the form of light. The colour of the light depends on the difference in energy between the two levels.
What ion is responsible for color?
Sodium compounds show the same flame test colors (all orange-yellow), suggesting Na+ is responsible for the colors.
Which of the 10 cations are colored and what are their colors?
Three of the 10 cations are colored: Fe3+ (rust to yellow), Cr3+ (blue-green), and Ni2+ (green).
Are all anions Colourless?
S2,O2,Br−, etc. are all colorless anions.
What is the color of the precipitate of group 1 cations?
2. A solution may contain one or more of the Group I cations. A white precipitate forms when 6 M HCl is added to the solution. The precipitate is insoluble in hot water.
What are the group 4 cations?
The Group IV cations are Ba2+, Sr2+, Ca2+. These metals form chlorides, sulfides and hydroxides that are soluble under that prevail in the precipitations of Group I, II, and III. The Group IV cations are Ba2+, Sr2+, Ca2+.
How does a metal cation produce color when heated?
The colors observed during the flame test result from the excitement of the electrons caused by the increased temperature. The electrons “jump” from their ground state to a higher energy level. As they return to their ground state, they emit visible light.
What causes flame color?
The colors of a flame are caused by bits of wax molecules that didn’t get completely reacted. These glow a certain color when they get to be a certain temperature. Since different parts of the flame have different temperatures, these bits of wax molecules make those areas of the flame glow with different colors.
Can the cation effect the color of a solution?
Explanation: It depends on where the transition metal is because frequently, transition metal would produce colored solutions. So a cation or anion can produce a color effect in a solution.
Why are ions Coloured?
during this d-d transition process the electrons absorb certain energy from the radiation and emit the remainder of energy as colored light. the color of ion is complementary of the color absorbed by it. hence, colored ion is formed due to d-d transition which falls in visible region for all transition elements.
What are the groups of cations?
The cations are classified into the following 5 groups.
- Group I Cations (Ag+, Hg22+ and Pb2+ – insoluble chlorides):
- Group II Cations (Hg2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Bi3+, Cd2+, As3+, Sb3+ and Sn4+ – insoluble sulphides in acidic medium):
- Group III Cations (Al3+.
- Group IV Cations (Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ – carbonate precipitates):
Which anion is Colourless?
Which one of the following is Colourless cations?
The electronic configuration of the following cations is as follows: Sc (Atomic number 21) = 3d1 4s2 and Sc3+ = 3d0 4s0. As d-orbital is empty, it is colourless.
What precipitate is yellow?
Silver phosphate ( Ag3PO4 ) is yellow precipitate and dissolve in dilute nitric acid and ammonia.
What are the group 3 cations?
Group III (Al3+, Cr3+, Fe3+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Mn2+) cations produce slightly soluble sulfides (Ksp values more than 10-20) so they can be precipitated by relatively high amounts of sulfide ion; this can be achieved by adding a basic solution of H2S.
How do you identify salt and cation and anion?
Procedure: Take a small amount of salt solution in a test tube and add some drops of sulphuric acid (H2SO4) to it. If you observe no change, then you can carry out preliminary tests for Group 2 anions. An odourless and colourless gas is released. It turns limewater milky.