Activity 8 Identifying Matter

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GOALS What Do You Think?

In this activity you will: You may have read how royalty, suspicious of enemies, had their food
• Produce colored flames. tested for poison by having someone else taste it first. That’s not a job
• Identify the metal ions present anyone would enjoy for very long!
in materials by the colors of
• How else could you test for a poisonous substance (other than by
light a material gives off when
held in a flame.
eating it)?
• Describe how atoms create the Record your ideas about this question in your Active Chemistry log.
colored light. Be prepared to discuss your response with your small group and the class.
• Investigate ways of producing
new colors not among those Investigate
produced by the materials you
test. 1. Your teacher will supply you with seven numbered
• Practice safe laboratory
wooden splints that have been soaked in various
techniques in working with solutions. Some are harmful, and some are not. Safety goggles
and a lab apron
laboratory burners.
a) How could you distinguish one splint from another? must be worn
at all times in a
chemistry lab.
2. Light your Bunsen burner. Immediately make
observations about the color of the burner flame. Follow all safety
precautions for
a) Record your observations in your Active working with an
open flame.
Chemistry log.

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3. Take one of the wooden splints and

hold it in the hot part of the flame
using forceps, tongs, or a fireproof
glove. Note the color of the flame
when the solution-soaked wooden
splint is heated.
As soon as the flame from the
splint is no longer strongly colored,
extinguish the splint by placing it in
a beaker of water.
a) Organize a table to record your
data.
b) Record your observations in your
table.
4. Repeat Step 3 for the remaining six
splints.
a) Record all your observations.
5. Refer to your data table. The salt
solutions in which the splints were
soaked are metal compounds of the
elements lithium, barium, sodium,
strontium, potassium, and calcium.
One splint was soaked in water.
b) Use your observations to decide
a) What do you notice that was what metal ions are on the splint.
different about each splint? Confirm your results with your
b) Your teacher will identify the teacher.
solution each splint was soaked c) Did you correctly identify the
in. Record this information in metal ion?
your data table.
d) In your log describe how you
6. Obtain another splint soaked decided what the identity of your
in an unknown solution. Hold compound was, and how sure
Wash your the wooden splint soaked in the you are that you were correct.
hands and arms
thoroughly after unknown solution in the burner
the activity. flame. Observe what happens. 7. Clean up your workstation and
return all your equipment as
a) Record your observations in directed by your teacher.
your log.

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 Activity 8 Identifying Matter

Chem Words
ion: an electrically
IDENTIFYING ELEMENTS USING FLAME TESTS charged atom or group
of atoms that has
In this activity you were able to create unique colors. Each color was acquired a net charge,
an identifying characteristic of the solution on the splint. The colors are either negative or
positive.
the result of the electron structure of each solution. When the metal
electron: a subatomic
ions are placed in the hot flame their electrons absorb the energy and particle that occurs
move to higher energy levels around the nucleus. When these electrons outside of the nucleus
and has a charge
fall back to their original level, they give off the light you see in the of –1 and mass of
flame test. Since each atom has a unique arrangement of electrons, 9.109 x 10–28 g.
each gives a unique color. This experimental technique is called a flame flame test: an
experimental technique
test. It is the basis for identifying the composition of the salt solutions. or process in identifying
This same effect is responsible for the burst of color in fireworks. In this a metal from its
characteristic flame
experiment only the metal ions are changed. The negatively charged ion color.
(chloride) is not affected. nucleus: the very dense
core of the atom that
The flames produced in this contains the neutrons
activity have interesting colors. The and protons.
structure of matter is the key to
the colors. The metal compounds
are made of atoms that have
nuclei surrounded by electrons.
When electrons fall from a higher
energy level to a lower energy
level, they give off radiation. In
this case, the electrons were able
to get to a higher energy level
by absorbing heat energy from
the Bunsen-burner flame. Each compound has a different configuration
of electrons and electron energy levels. The change in energy levels
represents the color of the light given off. If you refer to the higher
energy level as Eh and to the lower energy level as El, then you can state:
The energy of the emitted light is equal to Eh – El. The total amount of
energy remains the same as it is conserved. The energy the electron
gains from the heat energy of the Bunsen burner flame raises the
electron to a higher energy state. When the electron drops down to the
lower energy state, it gives off that energy as light energy.
Checking Up
The process you observed in this activity is not a chemical reaction. In
1. Explain what is meant
a chemical reaction, the product of the reaction is different from the by a flame test.
original materials. In the flame test, the heat did not chemically alter the 2. Explain how energy is
metal compound on the splint. conserved during the
flame test.

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What Do You Think Now?

At the beginning of the activity you were asked:
• How could you test for a poisonous substance (other than by eating it)?
Suppose that you were going to try to test food samples using a flame test to see
if they had been poisoned. How would you know for sure that the food had been
contaminated? How do you know what color the pure food would have when it
burned?

What does it mean?

Chemistry explains a macroscopic phenomenon (what you observe)
with a description of what happens at the nanoscopic level (atoms
and molecules) using symbolic structures as a way to communicate.
Complete the chart below in your Active Chemistry log.

MACRO NANO SYMBOLIC

Describe what you saw during In words, describe what is Draw a set of slides showing
the flame test. happening to the electrons as an electron starting at ground
they are heated in the Bunsen state, becoming excited, and
burner flame. falling to emit light.

How do you know?

Look back at your data table. Are there any elements that you cannot
distinguish between?
Why do you believe?
Energy is conserved in a chemical process. This means that when you put
energy in (from the flame) you will get energy out (in the form of light).
Where is the energy input to produce light in your home?
Why should you care?
You will be writing a movie scene for your challenge in this unit. Add
a part to your scene that could involve a colored flame. What is the
significance in the movie of using a colored flame? (For example, a red
flame could mean that the characters are in danger.)

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 Activity 8 Identifying Matter

Reflecting on the Activity and the Challenge

Most of the common fuels are primarily hydrocarbons, which do not contain
metal ions. Therefore, you are most familiar with flames that are yellow-orange or
occasionally a light blue. The bright colors of the excited metals are a surprise and
tend to look “out-of-this-world.”
Colors could play an interesting part in a plot line of a movie script. Perhaps an
unusually colored flame could be taken as a mystical sign. A sudden change in the
color of campfires could be a sign that danger is near. Consider how you might
use flame tests to create unusually colored flames for your movie special effect.

1. Compare the colors you observed in your flame tests to the colors you have seen
in fireworks displays. Identify what metals are used in producing the different
colors in fireworks.
2. Develop a series of sketches showing how an electron of an atom can give off
light. Your first sketch should have the electron in the ground state. The next
sketch should show the electron excited when you apply energy to the atom and
the third sketch should show how light is emitted when the electron falls to a
lower energy state.
3. Preparing for the Chapter Challenge
Name three new colors of light that could be produced by combining some of
the metal salts that you tested in the lab, and identify which metal salts you
would combine to produce these colors. If time and your teacher permit it, test
your predictions.

Inquiring Further
Fireworks
Fireworks have been around for centuries. They were used long before anyone
knew why they produced the stunning effects they do. Investigate the manufacturing
of fireworks and find the specific compounds used to produce the many colors
presented during fireworks displays.
Are all colors equally represented in fireworks displays, or are some colors easier
to obtain than others? Research what colors are available and which, if any, do not
seem possible given the range of substances readily available.

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