Lab Report CHM131 - Flame Test

PERUBAHAN/PEMURNIAN PELAN
PENTAKSIRAN KURSUS
SEMPENA WABAK COVID 19
GENERAL CHEMISTRY (CHM131)
EXPERIMENT 2
FLAME TEST
OBJECTIVES:
· To describe the color of a flame produced by an element.
· To produce a lab report based on the watched video
· To answer questions and complete data sheet provided
INTRODUCTION:
The arrangement of electrons around the nucleus of the atom is called electron
configurations. How the electron arranges themselves around the nucleus determines the
atom’s chemical activity. This is why electron configuration is so important to the study of
chemistry.
You learned earlier that electrons are found in increasing energy levels around
the nucleus. Adding energy to the atom may shift electrons from a lower to a higher
energy level. Heat, light or electricity can be used to add energy to an atom’s energy. An
atom with additional energy is said to be excited. The loss of this additional energy
returns the atom to its normal state. The normal state, after excitation, is called the
ground state. The outer electrons are those which absorb this added energy. When the
energy source is removed then the excited electrons return to their ground state. The
energy, which they had absorbed, is emitted. This emission of absorbed energy is in the
form of light energy. Analysis of this light, using a spectroscope, shows that this light is
always the same for the same atom. The emission spectrum from the excited atom
consists of lines, which are always of the same frequency.
The emission spectrum for each element is unique to that element. Like a
fingerprint it can be used to identify elements and their compounds. Most of our
knowledge of the composition of the universe comes from the emission spectra of stars.
Simple flame test can be used to illustrate this. Each element or its ion, when heated
sufficiently, produces a characteristic spectrum. The ions used in the following
experiment give a visible spectrum. These can be used to identify the element.
MATERIALS:
Nichrome wire with one end sealed in a glass rod
Concentrated solutions (0.5 M) of: Strontium chloride
Lithium chloride Calcium chloride
Sodium chloride Barium chloride
Potassium chloride Copper (II) chloride
METHODS:
1. The nichrome wire must be kept clean. Snipping about 5 mm off the end of the
wire after each use does this. Place used ends in the bin.
2. Dip the clean wire into chloride solution and then into flame. Record the color
seen, and then clean the wire.
3. Repeat for all the other solutions provided.
4. Use the results obtained to see if you can identify the metal ions present in the
unknown samples supplied.
Types of concentrated solutions The flame color shown during burning
(0.5ml) session
Lithium chloride Reddish pink
Sodium chloride Strong persistent orange
Potassium chloride Lilac(pink)
Strontium chloride Red
Calcium chloride Reddish orange
Barium chloride Pale green
Copper (II) chloride Gray white
DISCUSSION:
As the metal ions are heated by the burner flame, some of their electrons
absorb energy and move to excited states. As the electrons return to a
lower energy, they emit light of a characteristic frequency corresponding
to the amount of energy that they lost moving to the lower energy level.
Since the frequency and color of the light are characteristic of a particular
metal, flame tests are sometimes used as an test for the presence of
certain metal ions. Therefore we can conclude that different metal ions
will emit different types of color when heated because they have different
wavelengths (colour) and light depending on the difference in the two
energy levels.
CONCLUSION:
To sum it all up, different elements will emit different colors of flame
when heated by the bunsen burner. Different elements have different
activating energy that will affect the color of flame produced. The higher
the energy level is, the brighter the flame will be since the distance for
the electron to move from the higher energy level to lower energy level is
big. Therefore, it will emit the energy in the form of photons or in other
words color flames.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the color of the neon light?
The color of the neon light is orange.
2. Why does a sodium street lamp give off a different color light than a
neon light?
The difference in energy states for the electrons is different in sodium

and neon, so they produce different wavelengths (the emission spectrum
of each element is different) or colors.
3. Why do some elements produce colorful flames?
If energy is added to an atom. Electrons get excited. Electrons move up in

energy levels.After a certain amount of time, the electron moves back to
its original levels. Electrons emit energy in the form of light.Therefore,
different elements will produce colorful flames.

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PERUBAHAN/PEMURNIAN PELAN

· To produce a lab report based on the watched video

· To answer questions and complete data sheet provided

Concentrated solutions (0.5 M) of: Strontium chloride

Lithium chloride Calcium chloride

Sodium chloride Barium chloride

Potassium chloride Copper (II) chloride

3. Repeat for all the other solutions provided.

Lithium chloride Reddish pink

Sodium chloride Strong persistent orange

Potassium chloride Lilac(pink)

Strontium chloride Red

Calcium chloride Reddish orange

Barium chloride Pale green

Copper (II) chloride Gray white

The difference in energy states for the electrons is different in sodium

3. Why do some elements produce colorful flames?

If energy is added to an atom. Electrons get excited. Electrons move up in

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