Ashley-Ann Cooper Cutie was given 4 colourless solutions along with red and blue litmus papers.

She was asked to label these solutions zinc sulphate, sodium chloride, lead nitrate, and sodium hydroxide. Use only the materials litmus paper and the 4 solutions to plan and design an experiment for Cutie to identify and label the solutions.

Aim: To identify 4 colourless solutions with only litmus paper and the solutions. Materials: Red and blue litmus paper, 4 colourless solutions Apparatus: test tubes, beakers, labels, droppers Method: Test all the solutions with blue litmus paper and label the one which changes it from blue to read as sodium hydroxide. Take samples of the remaining solutions and add drops of the sodium hydroxide to them. The one which does not form a white precipitate is to be labelled sodium chloride. Heat samples of the remaining two solutions and the one that forms a precipitate and has oxygen evolve from it is to be labelled lead nitrate. By process of elimination, the final substance can be labelled zinc sulphate. Precautions: take care not to mix up the solutions, ensure that all glassware is clean and dry Explanation of expected results: NaOH is the only base present, the other substances are salts therefore it should be the only one which changes the blue litmus paper red. Sodium chloride and sodium hydroxide dont react to form a white precipitate, therefore that solution must be NaCl. Lead nitrate forms a precipitate and gives off oxygen when it is heated, therefore the solution which does so must be Pb(NO)3.