What is the chemical test to distinguish between iron and iron sulphide?
A magnetic can tell the difference.
a Magnet can tell the difference.
To distinguish between iron (Fe) and iron sulfide (FeS), you can perform a simple chemical test called the acid test. Here's how you can conduct the test:
1. Obtain a small sample of the material suspected to contain either iron or iron sulfide. If it is a solid, grind it into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle.
2. Place the powdered sample into a test tube or a small glass container.
3. Add a few drops of dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl) to the sample. Be cautious, as HCl is corrosive and should be handled with care.
4. Observe the reaction between the acid and the sample. If the sample contains iron sulfide (FeS), it will react with the acid to produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas and a brownish-red precipitate of iron(II) chloride (FeCl2) or iron(III) chloride (FeCl3). The gas will have a distinct smell of rotten eggs.
FeS + 2HCl -> FeCl2/FeCl3 + H2S
5. If the sample contains pure iron (Fe) without any sulfur (S), there will be no reaction with the hydrochloric acid, and the sample will remain unaffected.
By observing the reaction between the sample and hydrochloric acid, you can differentiate between iron and iron sulfide based on the presence or absence of a reaction and the formation of hydrogen sulfide gas and iron chloride precipitate.