if lead nitrate was added to sodium nitrate, how could one get the lead ions out of the sodium nitrate?
We always "want to get the lead out" don't we? ;-).
Add NaCl. That will ppt the Pb as PbCl2 or add Na2SO4 to ppt the Pb as PbSO4. If you are interested in purifying the NaNO3, however, I need to point out that this will contaminate the NaNO3 with NaCl or Na2SO4. It has removed the Pb but at the expense of contaminating the NaNO3.
Thank you DrBob222!!!
To remove lead ions from sodium nitrate, we can use the principle of selective precipitation. Here's how you can separate the lead ions from sodium nitrate:
1. Prepare a solution of sodium nitrate and lead nitrate, ensuring that both salts are fully dissolved in water.
2. Add dilute sulfuric acid (H2SO4) to the solution. This will cause a reaction where lead ions (Pb2+) will form insoluble lead sulfate (PbSO4) precipitates, while sodium ions (Na+) remain in the solution.
3. Allow the mixture to settle for some time to allow the lead sulfate precipitates to completely form.
4. Once the precipitate has settled at the bottom of the container, carefully decant or filter the liquid above the precipitate, which contains sodium nitrate. This will separate the lead ions from the sodium nitrate solution.
5. Wash the precipitate with water to remove any remaining sodium nitrate solution.
6. Finally, the precipitate can be dried and collected as lead sulfate.
By selectively precipitating the lead ions as lead sulfate, we effectively separate them from the sodium nitrate solution.