Flame Test Lab Essay

Introduction/Purpose: When a certain amount of energy is supplied within an atom, the electrons of that atom begin to move up the levels of electron configuration. This level of energy is called a quantum. The object of this experiment was to examine the movement of electrons up and down energy levels through the use of given elemental substances. With heat supplying a large amount of energy, the properties of the elements caused them to give off a certain color or tone of the light spectrum. Materials: Several materials were needed for the conduction of this experiment. Bunsen burners were used to generate heat. The process also required elements in liquid state, LiCl, NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, SrCl2, CuCl2, BaCl2, nichrome wire(or remove a pre-soaked wood splint), small test tubes for the metal ion solutions, safety goggles, and tabs to absorb the liquids. Containers were labeled to identify each element. Observations were recorded on a data table. Safety: You must wear your goggles at all times. Nothing on the lab tables except a pencil and your lab paper. No food or drink allowed whatsoever. Do not physically touch the chemicals. No actin a fool. Procedure: 1. Fill the test tubes with 5-10 drops of each metal ion solution. 2. Dip a wire loop into a metal ion solution (or remove a pre-soaked wood splint). 3. Hold the wire loop in the Bunsen burner flame and observe the color of the flame. Record your observations in the data table. If using wood splints avoid catching them on fire. 4. Be sure the loop is clean for the next sample (no more flame color). 5. Option: Watch the flame through a diffraction grading slide to see the bright line emission spectrum. Conclusion: In conclusion, we discovered that every metal ion solution has a distinct emission spectrum. Low energy red was proven to be on the low energy side. While violet indicates high energy.