flame lab
Flame Test Laboratory Report
Introduction
The purpose of this lab is to observe and identify metallic ions, using flame tests. The traditional flame test originated when Robert Bunsen invented the Bunsen burner to test two new alkali metals he and his partner had discovered. “A flame test is an analytic procedure used in chemistry to detect the presence of certain elements, primarily metal ions, based on each element's characteristic emission spectrum” (Flame Test 1). Using this test, an element can be identified using its emission spectrum, or color. An emission spectrum is defined as the spectrum of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation emitted due to an atom's electrons making a transition from a high energy state to a lower energy state. Since each element has different numbers of electrons, each element’s emission spectrum is different. This allows elements to be identified by their color during a flame test. For example, it is know that a sodium cation burns a yellow-orange color.
The normal electron configuration of atoms or ions of an element is known as the ground state. In this energy state, all electrons are at their most stable and are in the lowest energy levels available. When atoms or ions in the ground state are heated to high temperatures, some electrons may absorb enough energy to allow them to jump to higher energy levels. This excited configuration is unstable, and the electrons fall back to their former positions of lower energy (ground state). As the electrons return to their normal levels, the energy that was absorbed is emitted in the form of electromagnetic energy. When electrons lose their energy they do so by emitting a photon of light. The color of this light can be used as a means of identifying the elements involved.
Another method of atomic identification used in this lab are spectral lines. A spectral line is a dark or bright line in an otherwise uniform and continuous spectrum, resulting from a deficiency or excess of
Introduction
The purpose of this lab is to observe and identify metallic ions, using flame tests. The traditional flame test originated when Robert Bunsen invented the Bunsen burner to test two new alkali metals he and his partner had discovered. “A flame test is an analytic procedure used in chemistry to detect the presence of certain elements, primarily metal ions, based on each element's characteristic emission spectrum” (Flame Test 1). Using this test, an element can be identified using its emission spectrum, or color. An emission spectrum is defined as the spectrum of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation emitted due to an atom's electrons making a transition from a high energy state to a lower energy state. Since each element has different numbers of electrons, each element’s emission spectrum is different. This allows elements to be identified by their color during a flame test. For example, it is know that a sodium cation burns a yellow-orange color.
The normal electron configuration of atoms or ions of an element is known as the ground state. In this energy state, all electrons are at their most stable and are in the lowest energy levels available. When atoms or ions in the ground state are heated to high temperatures, some electrons may absorb enough energy to allow them to jump to higher energy levels. This excited configuration is unstable, and the electrons fall back to their former positions of lower energy (ground state). As the electrons return to their normal levels, the energy that was absorbed is emitted in the form of electromagnetic energy. When electrons lose their energy they do so by emitting a photon of light. The color of this light can be used as a means of identifying the elements involved.
Another method of atomic identification used in this lab are spectral lines. A spectral line is a dark or bright line in an otherwise uniform and continuous spectrum, resulting from a deficiency or excess of