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  4. During the silver nitrate test for halogens, the sodium extract is first boiled with a few drops of HNO3 to

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Q. During the silver nitrate test for halogens, the sodium extract is first boiled with a few drops of $HNO_{3}$ to

NTA AbhyasNTA Abhyas 2020

Solution:

If nitrogen or sulphur is also present in the compound, the sodium fusion extract is first boiled with concentrated nitric acid to decompose cyanide or sulphide of sodium formed during Lassaigne’s test. These ions would otherwise interfere with the silver nitrate test for halogens.

$NaCN+HNO_{3} \rightarrow NaNO_{3}+HCN$

$Na_{2}S+2HNO_{3} \rightarrow 2NaNO_{3}+H_{2}S$