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Question 65 of 71

Q.Nitrogen detection in an organic compound is carried out by Lassaigne's test. The blue colour formed in this reaction is due to the formation of:

(a) Fe4[Fe(CN)6]2
(b) Fe3[Fe(CN)6]2
(c) Fe3[Fe(CN)6]3
(d) Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3
Puducherry TnboardTamil Nadu HSC First Year (DGE) Board 2024MCQ· 1mImportance★★★★★
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The blue colour in Lassaigne's nitrogen test comes from ferric ferrocyanide, Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3 (Prussian blue).

Lassaigne's test detects nitrogen (and other elements) in an organic compound by first fusing the compound with sodium metal, which converts any organic nitrogen present into sodium cyanide (NaCN) within the resulting Lassaigne's/sodium fusion extract (along with Na2S, NaX for other heteroatoms, if present).

To test for nitrogen specifically, this extract is:

  1. Treated with freshly prepared FeSO4 solution and boiled — this forms sodium ferrocyanide, Na4[Fe(CN)6].
  2. Then a few drops of FeCl3 solution are added, along with dilute H2SO4 (or HCl) to acidify and dissolve interfering iron hydroxide precipitates. …

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