LESSON 17
Technicolor Atoms
Flame Tests
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Think About It
On the Fourth of July you can watch colorful fireworks without considering the
chemistry behind them. But each color that bursts forth in the sky is associated with a
particular chemical compound. For example, any green sparkles you might see are
probably due to a compound such as barium sulfate. But what’s responsible for the
color? Is it the entire barium sulfate compound, or is it one of the atoms in the
compound?
What evidence is there that certain atoms are present in a compound?
To answer this question, you will explore

Flame Tests

Evidence for Atoms in Compounds

Excited Electrons
Exploring the Topic
Flame Tests
Fireworks originated in China about 2000 years ago. The legend surrounding the
discovery suggests that fireworks were discovered by a Chinese alchemist who mixed
charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate and accidentally produced a colorful gunpowder.
Since then, the noise and the bright colors associated with fireworks have been used in
celebrations all over the world.
In a chemistry lab it is relatively easy to obtain the colorful flames associated with
fireworks. It can be done by heating certain compounds in a flame, such as the flames
in a Bunsen burner. The flame colors produced by heating four different compounds are
shown here.
HISTORY
CONNECTION
The original firecracker, called pao chuk, was created in China around 200 B.C.E. It was
a segment of green bamboo that was thrown onto a fire. Upon heating, the trapped
gases inside the bamboo expanded, causing the bamboo to explode.
The colors for several more compounds are provided in the table. Take a moment to
examine the data. What patterns do you notice?
Notice that each metal atom, Li, Ca, Na, and so on, is associated with a specific flame
color. Lithium compounds all make a red flame, while the barium compounds all make a
green flame. The nonmetal atoms in these compounds do not seem to affect the color
of the compound. So CaSO4 and CaCl2 and Ca(NO3)2 all have the same color flame, but
CaCl2 and NaCl and CuCl2 do not. The metal atom must somehow be responsible for the
color of the flame.
Evidence for Atoms in Compounds
Chemists have found these flame color patterns to be quite helpful. A flame test can
be used to quickly confirm the presence of certain metal atoms in an unknown sample.
So, a potassium compound can quickly be distinguished from a calcium compound by
heating samples of the compounds.
In addition, the color patterns associated with the flame tests clearly indicate whether
certain metal atoms are present within the compounds. For example, copper metal
turns the flame blue-green and so does copper chloride. This is definite evidence that
there are copper atoms in the copper chloride.
Excited Electrons
Heating metal compounds in a Bunsen burner does not destroy the atoms in them or
create new elements. This is because the temperature of a flame is not high enough to
change the nuclei of metal atoms. However, the heat does have an impact on the
electrons of these metal atoms.
ASTRONOMY
CONNECTION
Each element has a light “signature.” Astronomers can deduce the composition of a star
from the colors of light that it emits. This photo shows the light emitted by the star
Arcturus, one of the brightest stars in the night sky. When the light is separated by a
prism in this way, you can see that a particular shade of blue is missing because it has
been absorbed by iron in the star’s corona.
Electrons are located at different average distances from the nucleus of an atom. When
heated, some electrons of metal atoms get “excited” and move to distances farther
from the nucleus. This move is only temporary. When the electrons move back to their
original distance from the nucleus, they release energy in the form of colored light. This
is what you see during a flame test.
The fact that it is relatively easy to affect the electrons in atoms opens up new
possibilities for exploration. Perhaps the solution to creating substances with the
properties of gold rests in altering the electrons in some way. The nuclei of atoms
cannot be changed easily, so it is time to explore ways in which the electrons in atoms
can be changed. The rest of this unit explores the role of the electrons in the chemistry
of atoms and compounds.
Example
Flame Colors
Which of these compounds will give similar flame colors when heated?
NaCl CaCl2 SrCl2 Sr(NO3)2 Cu(NO3)2
Solution
The color of the flame depends on the metal. The only two compounds with the same
metal are strontium chloride, SrCl2, and strontium nitrate, Sr(NO3)2.
Lesson Summary
What evidence is there that certain atoms are present in a compound?
Many metal atoms produce a characteristic colored flame when compounds containing
those atoms are heated. The colors are a result of light energy produced when excited
electrons return to their original distance from the nucleus in the metal atoms. Flame
tests provide evidence that certain atoms are present in compounds and that they are
not destroyed during chemical changes. The flame test also demonstrates that it is
easier to add or remove electrons in atoms, which can be done with a small amount of
energy, than to alter the protons and neutrons in the nucleus, which requires a great
deal of energy.
Key Term
flame test
Exercises
Reading Questions
1.
How did the flame test provide evidence that specific atoms are present in compounds?
2.
Explain what is responsible for the colors during a flame test.
Reason and Apply
3.
Find out why fireworks are so colorful. What substances are
used to produce the colors?
4.
Predict the color of the flame for the compound sodium hydroxide, NaOH. Explain your
reasoning.
5.
Imagine you were in charge of creating a red and purple fireworks display. Name two
combinations of compounds you could use.
6.
What evidence do you have from flame tests that copper is responsible for producing a
flame with a blue-green color?
7.
Does nitrate produce a colored flame? Explain your thinking.
8.
Would it matter whether you did a flame test with sodium chloride, NaCl, in solid form
or sodium chloride as an aqueous solution? Explain.
9.
What flame colors would be produced by these compounds? Explain your choices.
 a. Na2CO3
 b. Ba(OH)2
 c. KOH
 d. K2CO3
 e. BaO
10.
If two chemical samples both produce an orange flame upon testing, which statement is
true?
 A. The two samples contain identical compounds.
 B. The samples both contain chlorine atoms.
 C. The samples both contain calcium atoms.
 D. The samples both contain potassium atoms.
11.
 E. The samples contain different compounds.
What evidence supports the claim that chloride, Cl−, does not cause the flame to have a
color?
 A. Lithium chloride, LiCl, and sodium chloride, NaCl, have different colors.
 B. Ammonium chloride, NH4Cl, does not cause the flame to have a color.
 C. Sodium chloride, NaCl, and sodium nitrate, NaNO3, both produce flames with
a yellow-orange color.
 D. All of the above.