[Jd1828]

I have to anwser a question for my lab.  

Is it safe to conclude that a substance is a tertiary amine because it forms a picrate?

I looked in the book and it doesnt say what a picrate is.  I looked around on the net and  found an example of Triethylamine Picrate.  I think the picrate part means it has a +NH(CH3)3 but Im not sure.

If that is right then a substance that forms a pictrate must be a tertiary amine.

[AWK]

Picrate is a name of picric acid salts (picric acid - 2,4,6-trinitrophenol)

[hmx9123]

Picric acid is used in qualitative organic analysis labs.  As AWK pointed out, a picrate is a salt of picric acid.  Picric acid itself is a high explosive, having explosive performance similar to (slightly better than) TNT (trinitrotoluene).  Many of the metal salts are highly dangerous explosives, as they are friction, impact, and heat sensitive.  I would be careful if you have to handle it.  Picric acid itself is somewhat friction sensitive, so it's almost always handled in a water solution.

Anyway, the picrate part means it has the 2,4,6-trinitrophenoxy anion.  You can have whatever as the cation, and it gives it the first part of the name.  In your case, you'd have triethylammonium picrate.

Just as a side note, ammonium picrate is used in making whistling fireworks.  I always thought that was pretty cool.