FLAME TEST

Flame analysis is a qualitative test, not a quantitative test. A qualitative chemical analysis is
designed to identify the components of a substance or mixture. Quantitative tests measure the
amounts or proportions of the components in a reaction or substance. The
unknown sample subjected to flame analysis is either sprayed into the flame or placed on a thin
wire that is then introduced into the flame.

Bunsen burner, device for combining a flammable gas with controlled amounts of air before
ignition; it produces a hotter flame than would be possible using the ambient air and gas alone.. The
Bunsen burner consists of a metal tube on a base with a gas inlet at the lower end of the tube, which
may have an adjusting valve; openings in the sides of the tube can be regulated by a collar to admit
as much air as desired. The mixture of air and gas (optimally about 1 part gas to 3 parts air) is
forced by gas pressure to the top of the tube, where it is ignited with a match. It burns with a pale
blue flame, the primary flame, seen as a small inner cone, and a secondary, almost colourless flame,
seen as a larger, outer cone, which results when the remaining gas is completely oxidized by the
surrounding air.

Figure: Bunsen Burner and the three zone of flame

Figure: Bunsen burner flames depend on air flow in the throat holes (on the burner side, not the
needle valve for gas flow): 1. air hole closed (safety flame used for lighting or default), 2. air hole
slightly open, 3. air hole half open, 4. air hole fully open (roaring blue flame).

If the collar at the bottom of the tube is adjusted so more air can mix with the gas before
combustion, the flame will burn hotter, appearing blue as a result. If the holes are closed, the gas
will only mix with ambient air at the point of combustion, that is, only after it has exited the tube at
the top. This reduced mixing produces an incomplete reaction, producing a cooler but brighter
yellow which is often called the "safety flame" or "luminous flame". The yellow flame is luminous
due to small soot particles in the flame which are heated to incandescence. The yellow flame is
considered "dirty" because it leaves a layer of carbon on whatever it is heating. When the burner is
regulated to produce a hot, blue flame it can be nearly invisible against some backgrounds. The
hottest part of the flame is the tip of the inner flame, while the coolest is the whole inner flame.
Increasing the amount of fuel gas flow through the tube by opening the needle valve will increase
the size of the flame.
 Figure: apparatus for flame test

The hottest part of the Bunsen flame, which is found just above the tip of the primary flame, reaches
about 1,500 °C (2,700 °F). With too little air, the gas mixture will not burn completely and will
form tiny carbon particles that are heated to glowing, making the flame luminous. With too much
air, the flame may burn inside the burner tube; that is, it may strike back.
Flame Test Introduction

The flame test is used to visually determine the identity of an unknown metal or metalloid ion based
on the characteristic color the salt turns the flame of a Bunsen burner. The heat of the flame excites
the electrons of the metals ions, causing them to emit visible light. Every element has a signature
emission spectrum that can be used to differentiate between one element and another.

Highly volatile elements (chlorides) produce intense colors. The yellow color of sodium, for
example, can be so intense that it overwhelms other colors. To prevent this obscuration, the wire to
be coated with the unknown sample is usually dipped in hydrochloric acid and subjected to flame to
remove the volatile impurities and sodium.

Standard or Bunsen burner based flame tests do not work on all elements. Those that produce a
measurable spectrum when subjected to flame include, but are not limited to: lithium, sodium,
potassium, rubidium, cesium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, zinc, and cadmium. Other
elements may need hotter flames to produce measurable spectra.

Analysts use special techniques to properly interpret the results of flame analysis. The colors
produced by a potassium flame (pale violet) can usually be observed only with the assistance of
glass that can filter out interfering colors. Some colors are similar enough that a line spectrum must
be examined to make a complete and accurate identification of the unknown substance, or the
presence of an identifiable substance in the unknown.

How to Do the Flame Test

Classic Wire Loop Method

Note: There will, in fact, always be a trace of orange in the flame if you use nichrome. You soon learn to ignore this.
Platinum is much better to use, but is much, much more expensive. If you have a particularly dirty bit of nichrome wire,
you can just chop the end off. You don't do that with platinum!

Dilute hydrochloric acid can be used instead of concentrated acid for safety reasons, but doesn't always give such
intense flame colours.

The clean loop is dipped in either a powder or solution of an ionic (metal) salt. The loop with
sample is placed in the clear or blue part of the flame and the resulting color is observed.
The colours

The colours in the table are just a guide. Almost everybody sees and describes colours differently. I
have, for example, used the word "red" several times to describe colours which can be quite
different from each other. Other people use words like "carmine" or "crimson" or "scarlet.

FLAME COLOUR

Li red

Na strong persistent orange

K lilac (pink)

Rb red (reddish-violet)

Cs blue-violet (see below)

Ca orange-red

Sr red

Ba pale green

Cu blue-green (often with white flashes)

Pb greyish-white

The origin of flame colours

If you excite an atom or an ion by very strong heating, electrons can be promoted from their normal
unexcited state into higher orbitals. As they fall back down to lower levels, energy is released as
light.
Each of these jumps involves a specific amount of energy being released as light energy, and each
corresponds to a particular wavelength (or frequency of light).

As a result of all these jumps, a spectrum of lines will be produced, some of which will be in the
visible part of the spectrum. The colour you see will be a combination of all these individual
colours.