chemistry flame test?

C

Courtney

New member
we did a lab today that involved putting elements in a flame and seeing what color they turned ive been stuck on the same 3 q's forever. uugghgushsh

1. is the flame coloration test a test for the metallic cation or the nitrate anion? explain.

2. do the dry sodium chloride and the solutions of sodium nitrate and sodium chloride all impart the same color to the flame? explain.

3. how would you characterize the flame test with respect to its sensitivity?
 
1. The flame coloration is owing to the metal cation. Nitrate contains nitrogen and oxygen, and these atoms do not have energy levels that would give a color to a flame.

2. Yes, provided you find a way to get dry NaCl into the flame. The color is owing to sodium in all these cases.

3. It is very sensitive, because you can see light emitted by a "relatively" small number of atoms. I'm afraid I have no number data.
 
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