Explain the reason for the fusion of an organic compound with metallic sodium for testing nitrogen, sulphur and halogens.
Nitrogen, sulphur and halogens are covalently bonded in organic compounds. For their detection, they have to be first converted to ionic form. This is done by fusing the or. The chemical equations involved in the test are
Na+ C +N→ NaCN
Na+ S+C+N→ NaSCN
2Na+S→ Na2S
Na+ X→ NaX
(X= Cl, Br, I)
Carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and halogen come from organic compounds.