Flame test

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The flame test carried out on a copper halide. The characteristic bluish-green color of the flame is due to the copper.

Different flame types of Bunsen Burner depending on air flow through the valve:

1. air valve closed

2. air valve nearly fully closed

3. air valve semi-opened

4. air valve maximally opened

Gas flame
 A flame test is an analytic procedure used in chemistry to detect the presence of certain
elements, primarily metal ions, based on each element's characteristic emission spectrum. The
color of flames in general also depends on temperature; see flame color.

Contents
[hide]

1Process

2Results

3Common elements

4See also

5References

6External links

Process[edit]
The test involves introducing a sample of the element or compound to a hot, non-luminous flame,
and observing the color of the flame that results. The idea of the test is that sample atoms
evaporate and since they are hot, they emit light when being in flame. Bulk sample emits light
too, but its light is not good for analysis. Bulk sample emits light primarily due to motion of the
atoms, therefore its spectrum is broad, consisting of a broad range of colors. Separate atoms of
sample present in flame can emit only due to electronic transitions between different atomic
energy levels. Those transitions emit light of very specific frequencies, characteristic of chemical
element itself. Therefore, the flame gets the color, which is primarily determined by properties of
the chemical element of the substance being put into flame. The flame test is a relatively easy
experiment to set up, and thus is often demonstrated or carried out in science classes in schools.
Samples are usually held on a platinum wire cleaned repeatedly with hydrochloric acid to remove
traces of previous analytes.[1] The compound is usually made into a paste with concentrated
hydrochloric acid, as metal halides, being volatile, give better results. Different flames should be
tried to avoid wrong data due to "contaminated" flames, or occasionally to verify the accuracy of
the color. In high-school chemistry courses, wooden splints are sometimes used, mostly because
solutions can be dried onto them, and they are inexpensive. Nichrome wire is also sometimes
used.[1] When using a splint, one must be careful to wave the splint through the flame rather than
holding it in the flame for extended periods, to avoid setting the splint itself on fire. The use
of cotton swab[2] or melamine foam (used in "eraser" cleaning sponges)[3] as a support have also
been suggested.
Sodium is a common component or contaminant in many compounds and its spectrum tends to
dominate over others. The test flame is often viewed through cobalt blue glass to filter out the
yellow of sodium and allow for easier viewing of other metal ions.

Results[edit]
The flame test is relatively quick and simple to perform, and can be carried out with the basic
equipment found in most chemistry laboratories. However, the range of elements positively
detectable under these conditions is small, as the test relies on the subjective experience of the
experimenter rather than any objective measurements. The test has difficulty detecting small
concentrations of some elements, while too strong a result may be produced for certain others,
which tends to cause fainter colors to not appear.
Although the flame test only gives qualitative information, not quantitative data about the
proportion of elements in the sample, quantitative data can be obtained by the related techniques
of flame photometry or flame emission spectroscopy. Flame Atomic absorption
spectroscopy Instruments, made by e.g. PerkinElmer or Shimadzu, can be operated in emission
mode according to the instrument manuals.[4]

Common elements[edit]
Some common elements and their corresponding colors are:

Symbo
Name Color Image
l

Al Aluminium Silver-white, in very hot such as an electric arc, light blue

As Arsenic Blue

B Boron Bright green

Ba Barium Pale/Apple green

Be Beryllium White

Bi Bismuth Azure

Ca Calcium Orange

Cd Cadmium Brick red

Ce Cerium Blue
Co Cobalt Silver-white

Cr Chromium Silver-white

Cs Caesium Blue-Violet

Cu(I) Copper(I) Bluish-green

Copper(II) (non-
Cu(II) Green
halide)

Cu(II) Copper(II) (halide) Blue-green

Ge Germanium Pale blue

Gold, when very hot such as an electric arc, bright blue, or

Fe(II) Iron(II)
green turning to orange-brown

Fe(III) Iron(III) Orange-brown

Hf Hafnium White

Hg Mercury Red

In Indium Indigo/Blue

K Potassium Lilac
Li Lithium crimson red; invisible through green glass

Mg Magnesium (none), but for burning Mg metal Intense White

Mn (II) Manganese (II) Yellowish green

Mo Molybdenum Yellowish green

Na Sodium Intense yellow; invisible through cobalt blue glass

Nb Niobium Green or blue

Ni Nickel Silver-white (sometimes reported as colorless)

P Phosphorus Pale bluish green

Pb Lead Blue/white

Ra Radium Crimson red

Rb Rubidium Red-violet

Sb Antimony Pale green

Sc Scandium Orange

Se Selenium Azure blue

Sn Tin Blue-white

Crimson to Scarlet, yellowish through green glass and violet

Sr Strontium
through blue cobalt glass

Ta Tantalum Blue

Te Tellurium Pale green

Ti Titanium Silver-white

Tl Thallium Pure green

V Vanadium Yellowish Green

W Tungsten Green

Y Yttrium Carmine, Crimson, or Scarlet

Zn Zinc Colorless (sometimes reported as bluish-green)

Zr Zirconium Mild red

Gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and a number of other elements do not produce a characteristic
flame color although some may produce sparks (as do metallic titanium and iron) and salts of
beryllium and gold reportedly deposit pure metal on cooling.
Bead test
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The bead test is a traditional part of qualitative inorganic analysis to test for the presence of
certain metals. The oldest one is the borax bead test or blister test. It was introduced
by Berzelius in 1812.[1] Since then other salts were used as fluxing agents, such as sodium
carbonate or sodium fluoride. The most important one after borax is microcosmic salt,[1] which is
the basis of the microcosmic salt bead test.[2]

Borax bead test[edit]

A small loop is made in the end of a platinum or Nichrome wire (as used in the flame test) and
heated in a Bunsen flame until red hot. It is then dipped into powdered borax, and the adhering
solid is held in the hottest part of the flame where it swells up as it loses its water of
crystallization and then shrinks, forming a colourless, transparent glass-like bead (a mixture
of sodium metaborate and boric anhydride)
Allow the bead to cool and the bead is moisturised (traditionally with the tongue) and dipped into
the sample to be tested such that only a tiny amount of the substance adheres to the bead. If too
much substance is used, the bead will become dark and opaque. The bead and adhering
substance is then heated in the lower, reducing, part of the flame, allowed to cool, and the colour
observed. It is then heated in the upper, oxidizing, part of the flame, allowed to cool, and the
colour observed again.[2]
Characteristic coloured beads are produced with salts
of copper, iron, chromium, manganese, cobalt and nickel. After the test, the bead is removed by
heating it to fusion point, and plunging it into a vessel of water.

Metal[3] Oxidizing flame Reducing flame[4]

Aluminum colorless (hot and cold), opaque colorless, opaque

Antimony colorless, yellow or brown (hot) gray and opaque

Barium colorless

Bismuth colorless, yellow or brownish (hot) gray and opaque

Cadmium colorless gray and opaque

Calcium colorless

Cerium red (hot) colorless (hot and cold)

Copper sky blue (hot and cold), opaque red, opaque

Iron yellow (hot and cold), opaque bottle-green, opaque

Manganese pink (hot and cold), opaque colorless, opaque

Cobalt deep blue (hot and cold), opaque deep blue, opaque

Nickel yellow-brown (hot and cold), opaque grey, opaque

Silver colourless (hot and cold), opaque grey, opaque

Vanadium colourless(hot and cold), opaque green, opaque

Uranium yellow-brown (hot and cold), opaque green, opaque

Chromium green (hot and cold), opaque green, opaque

Platinum colourless(hot and cold), opaque grey, opaque

Gold yellow-brown (hot and cold), opaque grey, opaque

Tin colourless(hot and cold), opaque colourless, opaque

Titanium colourless (hot and cold), opaque yellow, opaque (hot) violet (cold)

Tungsten colourless(hot and cold), opaque brown, opaque

Magnesium colourless(hot and cold), opaque colourless, opaque

Molybdenum colourless(hot and cold), opaque yellow or brown, opaque

Strontium colourless(hot and cold), opaque colourless, opaque

Thorium colourless(hot and cold), opaque colourless, opaque

Yttrium colourless(hot and cold), opaque colourless, opaque

Neodymium colourless(hot and cold), opaque colourless, opaque

Praseodymium colourless(hot and cold), opaque colourless, opaque

Silicon colourless(hot and cold), opaque colourless, opaque

Germanium colourless(hot and cold), opaque colourless, opaque