Everything Science Grade 10

CHAPTER 4. THE ATOM 4.6

Method: For each salt or powder do the following:

1. Dip a clean tooth pick into the methanol

2. Dip the tooth pick into the salt or powder

3. Wave the tooth pick through the flame from the Bunsen burner. DO NOT

hold the tooth pick in the flame, but rather wave it back and forth through the

flame.

4. Observe what happens

Results: Record your results in a table, listing the metal salt and the colour of the

flame.

Conclusion: You should have observed different colours for each of the metal salts

and powders that you tested.

The above experiment on flame tests relates to the line emission spectra of the metals.
These line emission spectra are a direct result of the arrangement of the electrons in metals.
Each metal salt has a uniquely coloured flame.

Exercise 4 - 5

1. Draw Aufbau diagrams to show the electron configuration of each of the

following elements:

a. magnesium

b. potassium

c. sulphur

d. neon

e. nitrogen

2. Use the Aufbau diagrams you drew to help you complete the following

table:

Chemistry: Matter and Materials 89