AQA · GCSE · Chemistry
Course version: 8462 · Version from Sept 2018
Silver chloride is white, silver bromide is cream and silver iodide is…
Full specification wording
Halides: Silver chloride is white, silver bromide is cream and silver iodide is yellow.
The silver halides formed when silver nitrate solution is added to solutions containing halide ions have characteristic colours.
Checked against the AQA 8462 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 2
- 3 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
The silver halides formed when silver nitrate solution is added to solutions containing halide ions have characteristic colours. Silver chloride, AgCl, is a white precipitate. Silver bromide, AgBr, is a cream precipitate. Silver iodide, AgI, is a yellow precipitate. These colours allow the halide ion present to be identified. The trend in colour reflects the increasing size and polarisability of the halide ion from chloride to iodide. They should also recognise that the precipitates are insoluble ionic solids and that the test requires dilute nitric acid to be added first to avoid interference from carbonate ions.
What earns the marks
- State that silver chloride is a white precipitate.
- State that silver bromide is a cream precipitate.
- State that silver iodide is a yellow precipitate.
- Link each colour to the correct silver halide formula: AgCl, AgBr and AgI.
- Use the observed precipitate colour to identify an unknown halide ion in solution.
- Recognise that the precipitates are insoluble ionic solids formed by precipitation.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Mixing up the colours of silver bromide and silver iodide.
Put it right: Remember bromide as cream and iodide as yellow.
Describing silver chloride as colourless rather than white.
Put it right: A white solid precipitate forms.
Assuming the colour identifies the silver compound without considering the halide.
Put it right: The colour is characteristic of the specific silver halide.
Exam tips
- Learn the colour sequence white, cream, yellow in the order chloride, bromide, iodide.
- When identifying an unknown, state both the colour observed and the halide it indicates.
- Use the formulae AgCl, AgBr and AgI to avoid confusing the compounds.
Try the lesson
The start of the Halides: Silver chloride is white, silver bromide is cream and silver iodide is yellow. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
What is the colour of the precipitate formed when silver nitrate solution is added to a solution containing iodide ions?
Listen
The silver halides formed when silver nitrate solution is added to solutions containing halide ions have characteristic colours. Silver chloride, AgCl, is a white precipitate. Silver bromide, AgBr, is a cream precipitate. Silver iodide, AgI, is a yellow precipitate. These colours allow the halide ion present to be identified. The trend in colour reflects the increasing size and polarisability of the halide ion from chloride to iodide. They should also recognise that the precipitates are insoluble ionic solids and that the test requires dilute nitric acid to be added first to avoid interference from carbonate ions. A strong answer earns marks for these points. State that silver chloride is a white precipitate. State that silver bromide is a cream precipitate. State that silver iodide is a yellow precipitate. Link each colour to the correct silver halide formula: AgCl, AgBr and AgI. A common slip: Mixing up the colours of silver bromide and silver iodide. Instead, remember bromide as cream and iodide as yellow. Exam tip: Learn the colour sequence white, cream, yellow in the order chloride, bromide, iodide.
See it
Key words
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Silver halides
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Precipitate colours
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Halide identification
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See every definition
- Silver halides
- Silver chloride is white, silver bromide is cream and silver iodide is yellow, and these are the silver halides formed when silver nitrate solution is added to solutions containing halide ions.
- Precipitate colours
- The characteristic colours are white for silver chloride, cream for silver bromide and yellow for silver iodide, and these colours allow the halide ion present to be identified.
- Halide identification
- The observed precipitate colour is used to identify an unknown halide ion in solution, stating both the colour observed and the halide it indicates.
Label the diagram
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