Flame Test Lab

Purpose:
The purpose of this lab is to observe the unique colors produced by certain
metallic ions in a flame test.
Materials:
-Goggles
-Bunsen burner
-Test tubes
-Chemical Rack
-Data Table
-Wood splint
Safety:
-Wear safety goggles at ALL times during lab
-Tie back hair and loose clothing
-DO NOT ADJUST THE FLAME, Mrs. Chun or Kumu Laua`e will adjust the
flame for you. The flame should remain BLUE throughout the experiment.
Procedure:
1. Create a data table with two columns. Label the columns first with the name of
the elements in the test tube rack in one column and observations in the other.
*Each test tube is labeled; be sure to place the wood splint back into same
test tube.
2. Tie back long hair and remove any bulky clothing.
3. Raise your hand and wait for Kumu Laua`e to light your burner.
4. Carefully pick up one wood splint and place into the flame (for 3-5 seconds)
record what you see. Place wood splint back into the same test tube you retrieved
it from.
5. Repeat with other elements until done.
6. Get unknown and record its number and follow the procedure in step 4.
7. Guess the elements name by comparing it to your data.
8. Raise your hand to let Kumu Laua`e know you are done.

Data:
Elements
Barium (Ba)
Strontium (Sr)
Calcium (Ca)
Potassium (K)
Lithium (Li)
Sodium (Na)
Unknown 8
Unknown 18

Observation
Turns light yellow (light greenish?)
Changes color on contact
Turns flame dark solid red
Took 4 seconds to change color
Took 2 seconds to change color
Bright, solid color orange flame
Turned colors after 4 seconds
Turned a light violet colored flame
Took 3 seconds to fully develop flame
color
Turns a dark red magenta color
Took 2 seconds to change color
Bright yellow-orange flame
Same color as potassium, light-whitish
violet
Took 3-4 seconds to change color
Burned immediately
Dark, deep red
Could be a stronger strontium?

NOTE: *If the end of the wood splint is splitting /charred/ burnt please see Mrs. Chun
for a new one. Do not discard until she gives you a new splint.

Analysis Questions:
1. What were your two unknowns? Explain how and why you reach this conclusion?
The two unknowns that my group had was unknown number 8 and 18. Unknown 8 was
the element Potassium; the two sticks/elements when put into the fire produced a pinkish
violet that changed color when in the flame after about 3-4 seconds. The unknown and
Potassium created the same shade/color when put in flame and also changed color at
around the same time, giving the conclusion that the unknown 8 element was in fact
potassium.

2. Do you see any similarities between your elements? Can you come up with a reason
why?
Yes, we found two pairs of elements in which showed similar flame colors when reacting
with fire. I found that Calcium and Sodium, both of which had similar shades of orange
when torched in the flame, were very close to one another in the periodic table. Sodium is

in period 3, group 1 while Calcium was in period 4, group 2, placing the two elements
directly diagonal from one another. Lithium and Strontium also were close to each other
on the periodic table, being Lithium in group one and Strontium group two. The two
elements, when placed in the flame created a similar shade of red. It seemed that
elements in close vicinity to one another and diagonal from one another, had the same
color range when put in flame.
3. Why do the elements need to be heated in order to produce a color?
When an element is not heated, it is in its ground state, the electrons are at its lowest
possible energy, it is not very excitable. When the element is heated though, the electrons
in the element go from ground state; the looser electrons get more energy and are pushed
into other orbitals, and when the electrons return to their original place, the energy is
released and creates particles of light called photons that can change the color of flame.