Special Health Sciences High School

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Experiment No. 2
Flame Test
Kristine Caye Datario , Trisha Escultos , John Darren Niedo , John Patrick Nueva ,Abigail Cristine Velasco

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ABSTRACT
Flame tests are used to identify the presence of relatively small number of metal ions in a compound. Gas
excitations produce a signature line emission for an element and because these subatomic particles are at higher
energy level, they tend to fall back down to their original states. A release of energy would be observed as a
flame color. This experiment aims to observe the colors emitted by metal atoms during excitation, a spoonful of
each salt together with 20 drops of denatured alcohol was added to an evaporating dish then ignited which
resulted to yellow for barium ion, orange for calcium ion, green for copper ion, deep red for lithium ion, orange
for sodium ion, and red for strontium ion. The representative wavelength (m), corresponding frequency (Hz),
and energy (J and kJ/mol) was calculated using the formula E=hv=hc/λ. Copper has the shortest wavelength,
indicating that it has larger transition and releases higher energy proton. Lithium and strontium both have the
longest wavelength, and both have the same color, this states that they have smaller transition and releases
lower energy photon. Flame test significant since it is used in Atomic absorption spectroscopy and atomic
emission spectroscopy in order to quantify the metals present in a sample.
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INTRODUCTION
Flame test is an analytic procedure used in chemistry to detect the presence of certain elements, like
metal ions, based on each element's characteristic emission spectrum. The color of the flame tells us about how
hot the temperature is. The inner core of a flame is light blue, with a temperature of around 1400° C, which is
the hottest part of the flame. The further you reach from the center of the flame, the lower the temperature will
be. The colors orange, yellow, red, and etc. in a flame does not only relate to color temperature but also
through gas excitations in which play major role in flame color. Each element has an exactly defined line
emission spectrum in which scientists are able to identify them by the color of flame they produce. For example,
copper produces a green flame, lithium and strontium a red flame, calcium and sodium an orange flame, and
barium a yellow flame. The variety of these compounds creates a range of possible quantum states to which
electrons can be excited. The color emitted may depend on the energy emitted by each electron returning to its
original state. Within the flame, regions of particles with similar energy transitions will create a band of color.
For example, the red region of the flame contains a high proportion of particles with a difference in quantum
state energies that correlate to the red range of the visible light spectrum. This energy corresponds to particular
wavelengths of light, therefore, produces particular colors of light.  Flame tests are useful because gas
excitations produce a signature line emission spectrum for an element. In comparison, the flame produces a
continuous band of light in which it is dependent on either the temperature of the hot object or the gas
excitations. When the atoms of a gas or vapor are excited, for instance by heating or by applying an electrical
field, their electrons are able to move from their ground state to higher energy levels. As they return to their
ground state, following clearly defined paths according to quantum probabilities, they emit photons of very
specific energy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this experiment, it is advisable to wear the PPE or personal protective equipment and observe the
instructions of the demonstrator. First method is to label the six evaporating dishes with the labels Sodium Ion,
Lithium ion, Copper ion, Barium ion, Strontium ion and Calcium ion with a masking tape. The cations are
formed in their salt forms. Add a spoonful of each salt into the evaporated dishes with their perspective labels.
Place approximately 1 mL (or 20 drops) of denatured alcohol in every evaporating dish. Do not allow the
solvent to dry preceding to the next step. Ignite the sample and observe the different colors emitted by the
samples. In each of the samples, calculate the representative wavelength (in nm) from the wavelength region of
a color by getting the average of the highest and lowest values. Express the calculated representative
wavelength in meters. Calculate the corresponding frequency (in Hz) and energy (in J and kJ/mol). Use the
given formula below:
hc
E=hv=
λ
where: E = energy in joules (J); h = Planck’s constant = 6.63 x 10-34 J s;
ν = frequency in hertz (Hz); c = speed of light = 3.0 x 108 m/s; and
λ = wavelength in meters (m).

Use the table.1 in getting the wavelengths of the visible light

Table 1.
Wavelength Region (nm) Color
400 to 440 Violet
440 to 480 Blue
480 to 560 Green
560 to 590 Yellow
590 to 630 Orange
630 to 700 Red
Representative wavelength of color

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Metals Color Representative Representative

Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (m)

Barium Yellow 575 nm 5.75 x 10^-7

 Calcium Orange 610 nm 6.1 x 10^-7

Copper Green 520 nm 5.20 x 10^-7

Lithium Red 665 nm 6.65 x 10^-7

Sodium Orange 610 nm 6.1 x 10^-7

Strontium Red 665 nm 6.65 x 10^-7

Table 1.1

Flame tests are used to identify the presence of a particular metal in a sample. As seen in the table 1.1, every
element has its own color. These variety of colors are produced due to the excitement of the electrons caused by
the increased temperature. The electrons "jump" from their ground state to a higher energy level and when they
return to ground state they emit visible light. Wavelength is defined as the distance between successive crest on
a wave. The results in the representative wavelength were obtained by using the table containing the ranges of
the wavelength of each color. In order to get the exact number, the average of the tabulated data must be
obtained. The data from the wavelength (nm) was converted to (m). According to the data, copper has the
shortest wavelength which means that it has larger transition and releases higher energy photon. The longest
wavelength is the lithium and strontium which has the same color. It means that they have smaller transition and
releases lower energy photon.

Metals Frequency Energy (E) Energy (kJ/mol)

Barium 5.22 x 10^14 3.46 x 10^19 3.46 x 10^22

Calcium 4.92 x 10^14 3.26 x 10^19 3.26 x 10^22

Copper 5.77 x 10^14 3.83 x 10^19 3.83 x 10^22

Lithium 4.51 x 10^14 2.99 x 10^19 2.99 x 10^22

Sodium 4.92 x 10^14 3.26 x 10^19 3.26 x 10^22

Strontium 4.5 x 10^14 2.99 x 10^19 2.99 x 10^22

Table 1.2

The electromagnetic radiation is the energy in the form of waves that cannot be seen by naked eye. These waves
are characterized by their wavelength and frequency. Frequency is the number of waves that pass a given point
every second and is measured in Hertz (Hz). The product of these two variables is the distance the wave travels
in a second and is a constant known as the speed of light. The formula used to get the frequency is: v= speed of
light/ (nm)
Each photon has an energy (E) which is proportional to its frequency. The formula used to get the energy is: E=
hv

REFERENCES
1. What causes the color in flames? Retrieved from http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/3BA.html