Abstract
In the process of analysis, the zinc ion in solution has a tendency to escape detection, especially if present in small quantities, Gilbertson found from his classes in qualitative analysis that zinc was reported correctly 79% of the time, and Incorrectly as being present when it was not, 7. 4% of the times. Silver which Is another colorless ion, was reported correctly 95% of the time and incorrectly only 0. 4% of the time. |A desirable qualitative test for zinc must be simple, sensitive and specific. The principal objection to many of the tests which have been proposed is that they are not specific. |Since no completely satisfactory qualitative and quantitative determination of zinc in the presence of other ions has been established, and no permanent and universal Improvements have been made on the basic sulfide group separation of Fresenius, it is the purpose of this paper and experiment to analyze and compare the Various methods and qualitative schemes offered by five standard texts on qualitative analysis. By a final quantitative measurement of the zinc left in solution after each series of separations, the most satisfactory scheme could be chosen and used to determine the ion causing the most difficulty.