Flame tests core practical

• Flame test to identify metal ions


  1. Place small amount of metal on nichron wire

  2. Place wire in blue part of Bunsen burner flame

  3. Observe color of flame
• Metal ions identified by flame test

  • Lithium (crimson flame)
  • Sodium (yellow flame)
  • Potassium (lilac flame)
  • Calcium (orange-red flame)
  • Copper (green flame)
• Flame test color can be difficult to distinguish, especially with low concentrations or mixtures of metal ions
• Flame emission spectroscopy


  Metal ion in solution is placed in flame, light given out is passed into a spectroscope which converts it into a line spectrum
• Line positions in spectrum are specific to each metal ion, allowing identification
• Flame emission spectroscopy can also determine concentration of metal ion from intensity of lines
• Advantages of instrumental methods like flame emission spectroscopy

  • Rapid
  • Sensitive (can work with tiny samples)
  • Accurate (more reliable than flame tests)