What does Silver nitrate look like and how do you test for it ?

Question

will it test as an acid or base or neutral

can it be confused with silver nitrite

Answer 1

Silver nitrate in solution is a clear solution that will precipitate with a lot of different anions. The best test is HCl because the chloride will precipitate the silver but be careful because it could be lead or mercury as well. There are further tests to figure out which one you have. Silver nitrite I do not believe is soluble in water like silver nitrate so you can determine that fairly easily. The crystal itself is not usually a white powder most of it is large crystals that are clear with dark coloring occuring depending on sun exposure. It looks like quartz almost unless it is ground up. Very soluble in distilled water with into a clear solution and like someone else said very sun sensitive. Matter of fact if you handle the crystals you get a white spot on you skin until you head outside then it turns black easy way to identify people who are working with it regularly. My wife knows when i teach that lab every time as well as the nitric acid labs because they leave a mark as well.

HCl will precipitate but it can still be mercury or lead so make sure you go furrther to identify it.

Answer 2

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RE:
What does Silver nitrate look like and how do you test for it ?
will it test as an acid or base or neutral

can it be confused with silver nitrite

Answer 3

Its white powder when its dry but can turn into dark if it exposed to light for a long time so it stored in amber glass ,, also if its prepared as standard solution should be kept in dark containers ,, but its colourless solution.. you can check for silver nitrate by adding sodium cloride solution or just tap water which will form with precipitate of AgCl,, silver chloride

Answer 4

Sodium Chloride is colorless in solution and so is Silver nitrate solution. When you mix the two, the sodium cation combines with the nitrate anion and the silver cation combines with the chloride anion. so you get sodium nitrate and silver chloride. Sodium nitrate is soluble and colorless but silver chloride has a color to it

Answer 5

AgNO3 is a white powder that dissolves in water. It will turn your skin darker if you get it on you. It is neither acid nor basic.When it is mixed with other types of salt solutions silver salt will precipitate.

Answer 6

in solution, i believe AgNO3 is clear. the easiest way to test for it is to add hydrochloric acid, HCl. This should form a whitish-gray precipitate, silver chloride, AgCl.

Answer 7

It lookslike a white powder, it is neutral becuase its the product of the reaction between an acid and a base.

Answer 8

Put it on an acidic burn. If it neutralizes it, it's slightly basic.