Required Practical: Making Salts

This lesson covers the AQA Required Practical for preparing a pure, dry sample of a soluble salt from an insoluble oxide or carbonate, as specified in AQA GCSE Chemistry (Required Practical 1, specification 4.4.2). You must be able to describe the apparatus, method, safety precautions, and expected results. This practical is frequently examined and you should be confident with every step of the procedure.

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Aim

To prepare a pure, dry sample of a soluble salt by reacting an insoluble base (metal oxide or carbonate) with a dilute acid.

The most common example used in this practical is:

Copper oxide + sulfuric acid → copper sulfate + water

or

Zinc carbonate + hydrochloric acid → zinc chloride + water + carbon dioxide

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Apparatus and Materials