382-384 Introduction Chemical analysis can be divided into qualitative and the quantitative methods. Experiments using the techniques of quantitative analysis must be performed carefully, with the goal of determining the result as accurately as possible. Although your goal is identification, rather than quantitation, experiments still must be performed with meticulous care. You must make careful observations, keep a careful record in your notebook, and perform all laboratory operations correctly. If your technique is sloppy, your cation identification is likely to be ambiguous or in error.
Qualitative analysis makes it possible to separate and identify two or more cations in solution.
Most scientific libraries include textbooks on qualitative analysis. We recommend that you leaf through one or more of the qualitative analysis textbooks available in Kresge Library. Note, in general, how common cations can be separated into groups, and study the diagrammatic summaries of the separation and identification of the members of the groups to learn some of the general methods used for analysis and separation.