Flame Test Lab
Ryan Cormack
Partner: Michael Knowles
Date: October 8th, 2013
Purpose: Observe the characteristic colors produced by certain metallic ions when vaporized in a flame. Identify unknown metallic ions by means of its flame test
Procedure: We added one sample compound into a watch glass, and then added five droppers full of methanol. After dissolving the sample as much as possible, we lighted a match and lit the methanol on fire. We observed the before state of the compound, the flame color, how to compound burned, how it looked after being burned, etc.
Pre Lab Questions:
1) What color of light is the lowest in energy?
Red
2) What color of light is the highest in energy?
Violet
3) What color of light has the highest frequency?
Red
4) What color of light has the lowest frequency?
Red
5) How are electrons "excited"?
Electrons absorb energy and get to a higher energy than their ground state
6) What does it mean when electrons are "Excited"?
They absorb energy and jump to a higher or lower shell, and then return back to ground state and emit a photon of light.
7) If you test two solutions and find that they both produce a red flame, how can you determine for sure whether they contain the same metal?
You can differentiate them by the sample/compound texture, color, the way the compound burns, how it dissolves, and how it looks after its been burned
8) In your own words, write a short explanation of how an electron absorbs energy and re-emits it as light.
They get hit with energy or a photon and jump to an outer shell. The electrons can jump higher or lower, and they emit different colors of light because they all remit a different amount of energy when they fall.
Data Table:
Partner: Michael Knowles
Date: October 8th, 2013
Purpose: Observe the characteristic colors produced by certain metallic ions when vaporized in a flame. Identify unknown metallic ions by means of its flame test
Procedure: We added one sample compound into a watch glass, and then added five droppers full of methanol. After dissolving the sample as much as possible, we lighted a match and lit the methanol on fire. We observed the before state of the compound, the flame color, how to compound burned, how it looked after being burned, etc.
Pre Lab Questions:
1) What color of light is the lowest in energy?
Red
2) What color of light is the highest in energy?
Violet
3) What color of light has the highest frequency?
Red
4) What color of light has the lowest frequency?
Red
5) How are electrons "excited"?
Electrons absorb energy and get to a higher energy than their ground state
6) What does it mean when electrons are "Excited"?
They absorb energy and jump to a higher or lower shell, and then return back to ground state and emit a photon of light.
7) If you test two solutions and find that they both produce a red flame, how can you determine for sure whether they contain the same metal?
You can differentiate them by the sample/compound texture, color, the way the compound burns, how it dissolves, and how it looks after its been burned
8) In your own words, write a short explanation of how an electron absorbs energy and re-emits it as light.
They get hit with energy or a photon and jump to an outer shell. The electrons can jump higher or lower, and they emit different colors of light because they all remit a different amount of energy when they fall.
Data Table:
Conclusion:
All in all, I think my partner and I executed this lab very well, and worked together as a team to learn about different effects of compounds and methanol/fire.
Error Analysis:
I think we may have rushed through the lab especially towards the end, and failed to take good observation notes. Next time I will make sure to record my own observations as well instead of having just one person do it. Other than that, we executed the lab flawlessly with no problems.
Post Lab Questions:
1) Why is it important to test the flame color of the methonal without any compounds dissolved in it?
It is important because methanol burns a certain color originally, so our added compound colors may be affected by that. It is just a variable we have to account for.
2) List the colors observed in this lab from highest to lowest frequency.
Red, orange, green, blue and then purple.
3) List the colors observed in this lab from highest to lowest wavelength.
Purple, blue, green, orange and then red.
4) List the colors observed in this lab from highest to lowest energy.
Purple, blue, green, orange and then red.
5) What is the relationship between energy, frequency, and wavelenth?
Wavelength, Frequency, and Energy are all relative to light waves and the impact they have on light emission. Wavelength is the distance between two peaks of a wave, frequency is the measure of "static" in the wavelength, and energy is the amount of energy emitted, obviously.
6) What metal was found in your unknowns (based on your observations)?
The metals ended up being Calcium Chloride and Borax, we guessed borax, but didn't have detailed enough notes to identify that the first one was Calcium Chloride.
7) Do you think we can use the flame test to determine the identity of unknowns in a mixture?
Definitely, in fact we did that in the lab already. Just make careful observations and relate them back to the reaction or compound.
8) Why do different elements emit different colors of light?
Every element emits a different amount of energy when they fall, which emits different photons of light.
9) Why do you think the elements have to be heated in the flame first before the colored light is emitted?
If you introduce a form of heat or light to a compound they get "excited" and a Quantum Jump occurs, where they emit a photon of light.
10) Most salts contain a metal and non-metal. Look at the compounds we tested and explain how we can be sure that it is the metal atoms that are responisble for the colors that you see.
Metal atoms reflect very high frequency light, non-metals don't.
11) Colorful light emissions are applicable to everyday light. Where else have you observed colorful light emissions? Are these light emissions applications related?
One of the most simple ones would be a light bulb.
12) Can you think of a way in which to use the flame test? Describe how.
I think it could be used to figure out what a certain substance is, but that could also be a horrible idea if the substance is extremely explosively flammable or something.
All in all, I think my partner and I executed this lab very well, and worked together as a team to learn about different effects of compounds and methanol/fire.
Error Analysis:
I think we may have rushed through the lab especially towards the end, and failed to take good observation notes. Next time I will make sure to record my own observations as well instead of having just one person do it. Other than that, we executed the lab flawlessly with no problems.
Post Lab Questions:
1) Why is it important to test the flame color of the methonal without any compounds dissolved in it?
It is important because methanol burns a certain color originally, so our added compound colors may be affected by that. It is just a variable we have to account for.
2) List the colors observed in this lab from highest to lowest frequency.
Red, orange, green, blue and then purple.
3) List the colors observed in this lab from highest to lowest wavelength.
Purple, blue, green, orange and then red.
4) List the colors observed in this lab from highest to lowest energy.
Purple, blue, green, orange and then red.
5) What is the relationship between energy, frequency, and wavelenth?
Wavelength, Frequency, and Energy are all relative to light waves and the impact they have on light emission. Wavelength is the distance between two peaks of a wave, frequency is the measure of "static" in the wavelength, and energy is the amount of energy emitted, obviously.
6) What metal was found in your unknowns (based on your observations)?
The metals ended up being Calcium Chloride and Borax, we guessed borax, but didn't have detailed enough notes to identify that the first one was Calcium Chloride.
7) Do you think we can use the flame test to determine the identity of unknowns in a mixture?
Definitely, in fact we did that in the lab already. Just make careful observations and relate them back to the reaction or compound.
8) Why do different elements emit different colors of light?
Every element emits a different amount of energy when they fall, which emits different photons of light.
9) Why do you think the elements have to be heated in the flame first before the colored light is emitted?
If you introduce a form of heat or light to a compound they get "excited" and a Quantum Jump occurs, where they emit a photon of light.
10) Most salts contain a metal and non-metal. Look at the compounds we tested and explain how we can be sure that it is the metal atoms that are responisble for the colors that you see.
Metal atoms reflect very high frequency light, non-metals don't.
11) Colorful light emissions are applicable to everyday light. Where else have you observed colorful light emissions? Are these light emissions applications related?
One of the most simple ones would be a light bulb.
12) Can you think of a way in which to use the flame test? Describe how.
I think it could be used to figure out what a certain substance is, but that could also be a horrible idea if the substance is extremely explosively flammable or something.