The borax bead test is a traditional part of qualitative inorganic analysis to test for the presence of certain metals. Before spectroscopy came along, the classical “wet chemistry” scheme for Qualitative Inorganic Analysis included the following:- Analysis of Solid and Non-Metallic Substances Preliminary Dry Tests Heating in a closed tube Flame colorations Charcoal block reductions Borax bead reactions Test for the ammonium radical Preliminary Tests for Acid Radicals Action...

A small loop is made in the end of a platinum wire (as used in the flame test) and heated in a Bunsen flame until red hot. It is then dipped into powdered borax, and the adhering solid is held in the hottest part of the flame where it swells up as it loses its water of crystallization and then shrinks, forming a colourless, transparent glass-like bead (a mixture of sodium metaborate and boric anhydride), General Name, Symbol, Number platinum, Pt, 78 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 6, d Appearance grayish white Atomic mass 195. ... The flame test carried out on a copper halide. ... Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (31st March, 1811 – 16th August, German chemist. ... Borax is a somewhat generic name used to describe a number of closely related minerals or chemical compounds: anhydrous borax (Na2B4O7) borax pentahydrate (Na2B4O7 Â· 5H2O) borax decahydrate (Na2B4O7 Â· 10H2O) The borax term is most usually used to describe borax decahydrate. ... Water of crystallization is water that is tightly associated with crystalline metal salts, and remains after drying in a fixed proportion to the salt. ...

The bead is moistened (traditionally with the tongue) and dipped into the sample to be tested such that only a tiny amount of the substance adheres to the bead. If too much substance is used, the bead will become dark and opaque. The bead and adhering substance is then heated in the lower, reducing, part of the flame, allowed to cool, and the colour observed. It is then heated in the lower, oxidising, part of the flame, allowed to cool, and the colour observed again.

Characteristic coloured beads are produced with salts of copper, iron, chromium, manganese, cobalt and nickel. After the test, the bead is removed by heating it to fusion point, and jerking it into a vessel of water. General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic brown Atomic mass 63. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chromium, Cr, 24 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 51. ... General Name, Symbol, Number manganese, Mn, 25 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 7, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 54. ... General Name, Symbol, Number cobalt, Co, 27 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 9, 4, d Appearance metallic with gray tinge Atomic mass 58. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nickel, Ni, 28 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 4, d Appearance lustrous, metallic Atomic mass 58. ...