Name______________________________ Date________________ Per___________

Lesson 17: Technicolor Atoms Flame Tests

Purpose: To provide evidence for the presence of certain atoms within compounds. Materials: Bunsen burner Crucible tongs Penny Copper wire Wooden splints soaked in various metal ion solutions. (Sr+2, Li+1, Cu+2, Ba+2, K+1, Na+1) Safety Instructions: You will be working with flames and chemicals today. Wear safety goggles. Roll up long sleeves, tuck in loose clothing, and tie back long hair. Know the location of the eye wash, fire blanket, and fire extinguisher.

Chemical Disposal: Place all burned splints into the glass/matches waste container!

Procedure and Observations: 1.For all solutions including the unknown, follow these steps: Using crucible tongs, hold the wooden splint into the flame and allow it to ignite. Remove the split from the flame and record the color of the flame in Data Table 1. Extinguish the flame and dispose of the wooden splint in the glass/matches waste container. NOTE: Do not burn more than one splint at a time or cross contaminate splints. 2. For the penny and the copper wire use tongs and hold each in the flame and observe the results. Record results in Data Table 1.

Data Table 1: Observations Substance Name Sodium carbonate Potassium nitrate Lithium chloride Strontium nitrate Copper (II) chloride Barium sulfate Potassium chloride Sodium nitrate Copper (II) sulfate Lithium nitrate Barium chloride Strontium chloride Copper penny Copper wire Unknown Formula Flame Color

Analysis: 1. Group the substances based upon flame colors produced.

2. What patterns do you notice in the groupings?

3. Predict the flame color for a substance called strontium sulfate. Explain your reasoning.

4. What evidence do you have that the atoms of certain elements produce a flame of a specific color?

5. Identify the unknown. Support your identification with evidence.

6. Making Sense Can a flame test be used to identify a metal atom in a compound? Why or why not? What about a nonmetal atom?

7. If You Finish Early Copper oxide, CuO, is a black solid. It does not look at all like the element copper. What color flame would it produce? Explain.