:Beilstein test

The Beilstein test is a simple qualitative chemical test for organic halides. It was developed by Friedrich Konrad Beilstein.{{cite journal

| author= F. Beilstein

| title = Ueber den Nachweis von Chlor, Brom und Jod in organischen Substanzen

| journal = Ber. Dtsch. Chem. Ges.

| year = 1872

| volume = 5

| issue = 2

| pages = 620–621

| doi = 10.1002/cber.18720050209| url = https://zenodo.org/record/1425026

}}

A copper wire is cleaned and heated in a Bunsen burner flame to form a coating of copper(II) oxide. It is then dipped in the sample to be tested and once again heated in a flame. A positive test is indicated by a green flame caused by the formation of a copper halide. The test does not detect fluorine/fluorides.

This test is no longer frequently used. One reason why it is not widely used is that it is possible to generate the highly toxic chloro-dioxins if the test material is a polychloroarene.{{cite journal

|author1=Barbara M. Scholz-Böttcher |author2=Müfit Bahadir |author3=Henning Hopf | title = The Beilstein Test: An Unintentional Dioxin Source in Analytical and Research Laboratories

| journal = Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English

| year = 1992

| volume = 31

| issue = 4

| pages = 443–444

| doi = 10.1002/anie.199204431}}

An alternative wet test for halide is the sodium fusion test — this test converts organic material to inorganic salts include the sodium halide. Addition of silver nitrate solution causes any halides to precipitate as the respective silver halide.