Chemistry

Project
on

Determination
Of the
Constituents
Of an
Alloy

By-
Prapti Chhipa
XI B
11229
 Bonafide Certificate

Certified to be the project report done by

Prapti Chhipa of class XI

IIS

during session

2005-2006

Teacher In charge

Acknowledgement
 I am deeply indebted to Ms. Shaloo
Purohit, Head of Chemistry Department,
under whose able and purposeful
guidance this work was carried out
fruitfully. I extend my heart felt thanks to
Ms. Shaloo Purohit for her valuable
contribution in the form of cooperation
during the course of investigation.

Name: Prapti Chhipa

Class: XI

Index
Bonafide Certificate

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Experiment #1
Observation
Conclusion

Experiment #2
Observation
Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction
An alloy is a homogeneous mixture of two
or more metals or metals and non-metals. In
other words a solid solution of two or more
metals or a metal and a non-metal. It is
prepared by first melting the main metal,
and then, dissolving the other elements in it
in a definite proportion. It is then cooled to
the room temperature. If one of the metals is
mercury, then the alloy is known as
amalgam. The electrical conductivity of an
alloy is less than that of pure metals. More
than ten thousands alloys have been
prepared so far and about hundred of them
are in common use, for example, stainless
steel, brass, bronze, duralumin, soldering
metal, gun metal, etc. So large numbers of
alloys have been prepared because the
properties of the parent metals constituting
the alloy are modified a lot by alloy
formation. For example, pure copper metal
is soft and ductile, but when it is alloyed
with small amount of zinc, becomes hard.
Thus, alloys are made to improve the
following properties of metals:
• For increasing hardness
• For increasing tensile strength
• For increasing chemical resistance
• For lowering melting point
• For modifying colour

Alloys are prepared from the metals

generally by fusion technique. That is,
metals are converted first to molten state,
mixed well and then allowed to solidify
again.

A number of methods, instrumental as well

as chemical, are known for finding out the
constituents of an alloy. In chemical method,
first a solution of the alloy is being prepared,
and then presence of various constituents
can be tested either by applying spot test i.e.,
making use of different organic reagents or
by applying regular qualitative inorganic
analysis scheme.
Some of the commonly used alloys,
their constituents and properties are
given in the following table:

Alloys Constituents Properties

Steel Iron, Carbon Hard, tough,
strong
Stainless Iron, Nickel, Hard, does
steel Chromium not rust
Brass Copper, Zinc Malleable,
strong,
resists
corrosion
Bronze Copper, Tin Very strong,
resistant to
corrosion
Duralumin Aluminium, Light,
Copper, strong,
Magnesium, resistant to
Manganese corrosion
Experiment #1
Aim:
To analyse a sample of brass qualitatively

Theory:
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Small
amount of iron and lead are also present.
This dissolves in 50%nitric acid and
generates the ions of the constituting metals
in solutions. Presence of these ions in the
solution can be conformed by qualitative
inorganic analysis scheme.

Cu(s)+8HNO3  3Cu(NO3)2(aq)+4H2O(l)+2NO(g)

Zn(s)+8HNO3  3Zn(NO3)2(aq)+4H2O(l)+2NO(g)

Apparatus:
Test tubes, test-tube stand, beakers, funnel,
test-tube holder, sand paper, filter paper

Chemicals:
Common laboratory reagents
Procedure:
(i) Clean a piece of brass with sand
paper. Wash it with water. Cut it into
small pieces and place the pieces in a
clean beaker.
(ii) Add to it about 10ml of 50% nitric
acid. Heat the contents in a fume-
closet until the brass pieces dissolve.
Concentrate the solution to a pasty
mass.
(iii) Dissolve the residue in about 10ml of
hot distilled water and filter if there
is any turbidity. The solution so
obtained will be the original solution
for inorganic analysis.
(iv) Follow the following procedure for
detection of various cations present
in the original solution.

Test Observation Inference

1. Original No ppts. Ag+, Hg22+,
 solution + dil. Pb2+ are
HCl. absent.
2. Pass H2S gas Black ppts. Gr. II or Cu2+
through above is present.
solution.
3. Filter &

preserve the
filtrate for the
test of Zn2+.
4. Dissolve
the black ppts. Cu2+ present.
in 50% hot Bluish Green
nitric acid. solution.
5. Add excess of

NH4OH in Cu2+
above solution Deep blue confirmed.
(4). colour.
6. Boil off H2S

gas from Zn2+ may be

filtrate (3). Dirty-white present.
Add NH4Cl ppts.
and NH4OH
into it & pass
 H2S gas
through the
ammonical
solution.
7. Filter the dirty-
white ppts. Zn2+
Dissolve these Bluish white presence
in minimum ppts. confirmed.
amount of dil.
HCl. Boil off
H2S. Cool &
add potassium
ferrocynaide
solution into it.

Conclusion:
Brass contains copper and zinc metals.

Experiment # 2
Aim:
To find out qualitatively the constituents
present in the given sample of duralumin
alloy.

Theory:
Duralumin is aluminium based alloy and
contains about 94% of aluminium, 4% of
copper and 2% of magnesium, manganese
and silicon.

Apparatus:
Test tubes, test-tube stand, beakers, funnel,
test-tube holder, sand paper, filter paper.

Chemicals:
Common laboratory reagents.

Procedure:
Boil the alloy with concentrated nitric
acid and evaporate the solution to obtain a
pasty mass. This treatment will convert all
metals except ‘Si’ into nitrates which are
soluble in water. Extract the pasty mass with
water, when nitrates of Al, Cu, Mg, and Mn
will go into solution leaving a white residue.

Test Observation Inference

1. Original No ppts. Ag+, Hg22+,
solution + dil. Pb2+ are
HCl. absent.
2. Pass H2S Black ppts. Gr. II ,Cu2+
gas. is present.
3.Filter &
preserve the
filtrate.
4.Dissolve Bluish Green Cu2+ present.
black ppts. in solution.
50% hot nitric
acid. Cu2+
5.Add excess Deep blue confirmed.
of NH4OH. colour. may be Al3+
6.Add conc. White
HNO3. Boil gelatinous
off H2S gas ppts.
from filtrate.
Add NH4Cl &
NH4OH.
7.Filter ppt. Al3+
8.Add dil. ppt. confirmed.
NaOH & then disappears &
add solid then
NH4Cl. reappears.
9.Pass H2S ppt. formed.
gas. Gr. IV
10. Add dil. ppt. does not present.
HCl. dissolve. may be
11. Boil off Mn2+.
H2S &
preserve some
part. Add
excess of
NaOH. Mn2+
12. Boil ppt. Purple confirmed.
in conc.HNO3. solution.
Add solid
PbO2 & boil. Gr. V
13.Add no ppts. absent. May
(NH4)2CO3 & be Mg2+.
NH4OH.
14.Filtrate + White Mg2+
(NH4)2C2O4+ crystalline confirmed.
Na2HPO4 ppt.
+NH4OH
Test of SiO2:
To the SiO2 (white residue), add a small
amount of sodium fluoride and concentrated
sulphuric acid. Heat the contents. Hold a
moistened glass rod near the mouth of the
tube. Formation of white deposit confirms
the presence of SiO2.

NaF + H2SO4  NaHSO4 + HF

SiO2 + 4HF  2H2O + SiO4

Conclusion:
Duralumin contains aluminium, copper,
magnesium, manganese and silicon.
 Bibliography

Lab Manual of Class XII

Project 14
Pg-275-278

Science & Technology

Class X
Pg-175-176