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Separate Chemistry · Paper 2 · Foundation + Higher · C8

Coloured metal hydroxide precipitates

Key ideas1 of 3

A solid appears in a solution

Adding sodium hydroxide solution to some metal-ion solutions produces an insoluble metal hydroxide. A solid formed from solutions is called a precipitate. Describe its colour, rather than reporting only the starting solution colour. Sodium hydroxide supplies hydroxide ions that react with the metal ions. A cloudy suspension or a solid settling in the tube can both show that a precipitate has formed.

Dissolved copper and hydroxide ions form a blue solid.

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Practice, downloads and sources

Daily 5 · Exam practice · Revision sheet ↓

Foundation + Higher · C8. Use alongside the shared C8 lessons.

AQA GCSE Chemistry 8462 · 4.8.3.2. Original notes, questions and diagrams. Models are simplified; teaching data are illustrative.