What is the chemical formula of the ion that is detected by the sulfate test?

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Multiple Choice

What is the chemical formula of the ion that is detected by the sulfate test?

Explanation:
The sulfate test uses a reaction with barium ions to reveal the presence of sulfate in a sample. The ion detected is the sulfate ion, with formula SO4^2−. When sulfate is present, it forms a white, very insoluble precipitate with barium ions, BaSO4, which is easy to see and confirms sulfate's presence. Other ions like nitrate, carbonate, or phosphate don’t give the same BaSO4 precipitate under this test, so the appearance of that specific solid points to sulfate specifically.

The sulfate test uses a reaction with barium ions to reveal the presence of sulfate in a sample. The ion detected is the sulfate ion, with formula SO4^2−. When sulfate is present, it forms a white, very insoluble precipitate with barium ions, BaSO4, which is easy to see and confirms sulfate's presence. Other ions like nitrate, carbonate, or phosphate don’t give the same BaSO4 precipitate under this test, so the appearance of that specific solid points to sulfate specifically.

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