Solubility Rules Worksheet

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  1. 1.Is sodium chloride, NaCl, soluble or insoluble in water?
  2. 2.Is silver chloride, AgCl, soluble or insoluble in water?
  3. 3.Is lead(II) iodide, PbI₂, soluble or insoluble in water?
  4. 4.Is barium sulfate, BaSO₄, soluble or insoluble in water?
  5. 5.Is magnesium sulfate, MgSO₄, soluble or insoluble in water?
  6. 6.Is calcium carbonate, CaCO₃, soluble or insoluble in water?
  7. 7.Is potassium carbonate, K₂CO₃, soluble or insoluble in water?
  8. 8.Is ammonium phosphate, (NH₄)₃PO₄, soluble or insoluble in water?
  9. 9.Is calcium phosphate, Ca₃(PO₄)₂, soluble or insoluble in water?
  10. 10.Is copper(II) nitrate, Cu(NO₃)₂, soluble or insoluble in water?
  11. 11.Is lead(II) nitrate, Pb(NO₃)₂, soluble or insoluble in water?
  12. 12.Is silver acetate, AgC₂H₃O₂, soluble or insoluble in water?
  13. 13.Is iron(III) hydroxide, Fe(OH)₃, soluble or insoluble in water?
  14. 14.Is barium hydroxide, Ba(OH)₂, soluble or insoluble in water?
  15. 15.Is magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)₂, soluble or insoluble in water?
  16. 16.Is sodium hydroxide, NaOH, soluble or insoluble in water?
  17. 17.Is copper(II) sulfide, CuS, soluble or insoluble in water?
  18. 18.Is lead(II) sulfate, PbSO₄, soluble or insoluble in water?
  19. 19.Is zinc sulfate, ZnSO₄, soluble or insoluble in water?
  20. 20.Is silver bromide, AgBr, soluble or insoluble in water?
  21. 21.Is calcium chloride, CaCl₂, soluble or insoluble in water?
  22. 22.Is calcium fluoride, CaF₂, soluble or insoluble in water?
  23. 23.Is silver fluoride, AgF, soluble or insoluble in water?
  24. 24.Is lead(II) chromate, PbCrO₄, soluble or insoluble in water?
  25. 25.Is lithium sulfide, Li₂S, soluble or insoluble in water?
  26. 26.Is strontium sulfate, SrSO₄, soluble or insoluble in water?
  27. 27.Is iron(III) chloride, FeCl₃, soluble or insoluble in water?
  28. 28.Is zinc carbonate, ZnCO₃, soluble or insoluble in water?
  29. 29.Is ammonium sulfide, (NH₄)₂S, soluble or insoluble in water?
  30. 30.Is barium nitrate, Ba(NO₃)₂, soluble or insoluble in water?
  31. 31.Potassium iodide and lead(II) nitrate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  32. 32.Potassium sulfate and barium nitrate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  33. 33.Lithium chloride and silver acetate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  34. 34.Lead(II) nitrate and ammonium carbonate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  35. 35.Sodium chloride and potassium nitrate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  36. 36.Silver nitrate and sodium chloride solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  37. 37.Barium chloride and sodium sulfate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  38. 38.Copper(II) sulfate and sodium hydroxide solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  39. 39.Iron(III) chloride and potassium hydroxide solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  40. 40.Calcium chloride and sodium carbonate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  41. 41.Magnesium sulfate and potassium nitrate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  42. 42.Lead(II) nitrate and sodium chloride solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  43. 43.Sodium phosphate and calcium chloride solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  44. 44.Ammonium chloride and potassium bromide solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  45. 45.Silver nitrate and potassium chromate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  46. 46.Zinc nitrate and sodium sulfide solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  47. 47.Barium nitrate and sodium hydroxide solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  48. 48.Strontium chloride and potassium sulfate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms?
  49. 49.Which ion makes every compound it is in soluble in water?
  50. 50.Which cations make their compounds soluble with no exceptions?
  51. 51.Which three cations are the exceptions to the chloride, bromide and iodide rule?
  52. 52.Hydroxides are mostly insoluble. Which cations are the exceptions in the table?
  53. 53.Which of these makes an insoluble sulfate?
  54. 54.Fluorides are soluble except with which cations?
  55. 55.Carbonates, phosphates, chromates and sulfides share which rule?
  56. 56.What is a precipitation reaction?
  57. 57.Precipitation reactions between ionic compounds are also called what?
  58. 58.In the solubility rules, what does insoluble mean?
  59. 59.Which solution would precipitate barium ions from a water sample?
  60. 60.When silver nitrate and sodium chloride react, which ions stay dissolved?
Is calcium phosphate, Ca₃(PO₄)₂, soluble or insoluble in water?

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How it works

This solubility rules worksheet asks whether ionic compounds dissolve in water and what precipitates when two solutions are mixed. Every answer names the rule, and the exception, that decides it.

Read the full guide

Three sets

One compound gives a name and formula, such as barium sulfate, BaSO₄: soluble or insoluble? Mixing two solutions asks which product, if any, falls out as a solid. The rules set checks the exceptions themselves.

Which rules

The answers follow the solubility guidelines in OpenStax Chemistry 2e, a free college textbook. Compounds that books disagree on, such as calcium sulfate and calcium hydroxide, are left out, so every question has one clear answer.

  • Check the cation first: sodium, potassium, lithium or ammonium means soluble, whatever the anion.
  • Silver and lead(II) are the usual troublemakers: they break the chloride, bromide, iodide and sulfate rules.

Questions and answers

What are the solubility rules?

Group 1 and ammonium compounds, nitrates and acetates are soluble. Chlorides, bromides, iodides and sulfates are soluble with named exceptions. Carbonates, phosphates, chromates, sulfides and hydroxides are insoluble unless paired with group 1 or ammonium, and barium hydroxide is soluble.

How do I predict a precipitate?

Swap the partners of the two compounds to get the two possible products. Check each against the rules. If one is insoluble, it precipitates; if both are soluble, nothing forms.

Does this solubility worksheet have an answer key?

Yes. Each question shows its answer and rule when you check it, the list under the quiz gives every answer, and the printed worksheet comes with a key.

All 60 questions with answers

One compound: soluble or not? 30

  • Is ammonium phosphate, (NH₄)₃PO₄, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is ammonium sulfide, (NH₄)₂S, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is barium hydroxide, Ba(OH)₂, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is barium nitrate, Ba(NO₃)₂, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is barium sulfate, BaSO₄, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is calcium carbonate, CaCO₃, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is calcium chloride, CaCl₂, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is calcium fluoride, CaF₂, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is calcium phosphate, Ca₃(PO₄)₂, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
Show all 60 questions (51 more)

One compound: soluble or not?, continued

  • Is copper(II) nitrate, Cu(NO₃)₂, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is copper(II) sulfide, CuS, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is iron(III) chloride, FeCl₃, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is iron(III) hydroxide, Fe(OH)₃, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is lead(II) chromate, PbCrO₄, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is lead(II) iodide, PbI₂, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is lead(II) nitrate, Pb(NO₃)₂, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is lead(II) sulfate, PbSO₄, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is lithium sulfide, Li₂S, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)₂, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is magnesium sulfate, MgSO₄, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is potassium carbonate, K₂CO₃, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is silver acetate, AgC₂H₃O₂, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is silver bromide, AgBr, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is silver chloride, AgCl, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is silver fluoride, AgF, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is sodium chloride, NaCl, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is sodium hydroxide, NaOH, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is strontium sulfate, SrSO₄, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is zinc carbonate, ZnCO₃, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Insoluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Is zinc sulfate, ZnSO₄, soluble or insoluble in water? Answer: Soluble. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.

Mixing two solutions 18

  • Ammonium chloride and potassium bromide solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: No precipitate forms. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Barium chloride and sodium sulfate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: BaSO₄. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Barium nitrate and sodium hydroxide solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: No precipitate forms. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Calcium chloride and sodium carbonate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: CaCO₃. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Copper(II) sulfate and sodium hydroxide solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: Cu(OH)₂. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Iron(III) chloride and potassium hydroxide solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: Fe(OH)₃. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Lead(II) nitrate and ammonium carbonate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: PbCO₃. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Lead(II) nitrate and sodium chloride solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: PbCl₂. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Lithium chloride and silver acetate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: AgCl. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Magnesium sulfate and potassium nitrate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: No precipitate forms. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Potassium iodide and lead(II) nitrate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: PbI₂. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Potassium sulfate and barium nitrate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: BaSO₄. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Silver nitrate and potassium chromate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: Ag₂CrO₄. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Silver nitrate and sodium chloride solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: AgCl. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Sodium chloride and potassium nitrate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: No precipitate forms. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Sodium phosphate and calcium chloride solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: Ca₃(PO₄)₂. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Strontium chloride and potassium sulfate solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: SrSO₄. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Zinc nitrate and sodium sulfide solutions are mixed. What precipitate forms? Answer: ZnS. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.

The rules and exceptions 12

  • Carbonates, phosphates, chromates and sulfides share which rule? Answer: Insoluble, except with group 1 cations and ammonium. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Fluorides are soluble except with which cations? Answer: Group 2 cations, Pb²⁺ and Fe³⁺. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Hydroxides are mostly insoluble. Which cations are the exceptions in the table? Answer: Group 1 cations and Ba²⁺. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • In the solubility rules, what does insoluble mean? Answer: It has a relatively low solubility and readily precipitates. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Precipitation reactions between ionic compounds are also called what? Answer: Double displacement reactions. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • What is a precipitation reaction? Answer: Dissolved substances react to form a solid. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • When silver nitrate and sodium chloride react, which ions stay dissolved? Answer: Na⁺ and NO₃⁻. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Which cations make their compounds soluble with no exceptions? Answer: Group 1 cations and ammonium. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Which ion makes every compound it is in soluble in water? Answer: Nitrate, NO₃⁻. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Which of these makes an insoluble sulfate? Answer: Ba²⁺. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Which solution would precipitate barium ions from a water sample? Answer: Sodium sulfate. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.
  • Which three cations are the exceptions to the chloride, bromide and iodide rule? Answer: Ag⁺, Hg₂²⁺ and Pb²⁺. Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1. Read 2026-09-23.

How this list was compiled: Questions, wrong choices and explanations were written for this site. Every answer follows the solubility guidelines of OpenStax Chemistry 2e, section 4.2, Table 4.1 (https://openstax.org/books/chemistry-2e/pages/4-2-classifying-chemical-reactions), read 2026-09-23. Soluble and insoluble are used in that table's sense: relatively large or relatively low solubility in water. Licence: own work

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