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Precipitate - GCSE Chemistry Definition

Reviewed by: Richard Boole

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In chemistry, a precipitate is a solid that forms when two solutions are mixed and a chemical reaction produces an insoluble compound. The precipitate appears as cloudy particles or a solid that settles to the bottom of the container.

This type of reaction is called a precipitation reaction and is used in chemistry to identify ions or separate substances. For example, mixing silver nitrate solution with sodium chloride solution forms a white precipitate of solid silver chloride (AgCl):

AgNO3 (aq) + NaCl (aq) → AgCl (s) + NaNO3 (aq)

Precipitation reactions are important in qualitative analysis and are part of the required practicals in GCSE Chemistry.

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Richard Boole

Reviewer: Richard Boole

Expertise: Chemistry Content Creator

Richard has taught Chemistry for over 15 years as well as working as a science tutor, examiner, content creator and author. He wasn’t the greatest at exams and only discovered how to revise in his final year at university. That knowledge made him want to help students learn how to revise, challenge them to think about what they actually know and hopefully succeed; so here he is, happily, at SME.

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