Flame Test Lab printable pdf download

Name:___________________

Period:______

FLAME TEST LAB

PURPOSE: To use various element salts in a flame test to determine the temperature and brightness of a star using the

line spectra of each element.

HYPOTHESIS: If I use different salts in a flame test, then ____________________________________________

MATERIALS:

Various elemental salts

Beaker

Bunsen Burner

Nichrome Wire



Diluted Hydrochloric acid(HCl)

Water

Paper towel piece



PROCEDURE:

Dip the nichrome wire into the dilute HCl acid and then hold it in the flame until red hot.

2. Dip the nichrome wire into the HCl acid again and then take the wire and scrape one of the element salts

onto the loop of the wire. You will test only one salt at a time.

3. Place the wire into the Bunsen burner flame and observe.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 once again.

5. Record your observation onto your data table: Flame color and Line Spectra (From chart).

6. Dip the wire into the dilute HCl while it is still hot, this step is to clean the wire for the next group.

7. Repeat steps 2-6 for each of the element salts. You will have 3 minutes per station (1 salt per station).

DATA TABLE:

SALT

METAL

SAMPLE

FLAME COLOR

LINE SPECTRA(FROM CHART)

Sodium Chloride

Sodium

Calcium Chloride

Calcium

Potassium Chloride

Potassium

Strontium Chloride

Strontium

Cupric Chloride

Copper

Lithium Chloride

Lithium

ANALYSIS:

Use your data from above, along with the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram to answer the following questions.

1. What colors did you observe? __________________________________________________________

2. Based on color and your H-R diagram, place the samples in the appropriate categories(Main sequence, white dwarf,

giant, supergiant):

Sample A: ________________________________________________

Sample B: ________________________________________________

Sample C: ________________________________________________

Sample D: ________________________________________________

Sample E: ________________________________________________

Sample F: ________________________________________________

3. If sample A were a white dwarf, what star(s) could it be?

_____________________________________________________________________________

4. If sample B were a main sequence star, what star(s) could it be?

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. If sample D were Betelgeuse, then it would be classified as a ______________________star.

6. The giant star Mira could have been which sample? __________________________________________

7. Which of these samples from the data table would have the highest surface temperature?

_____________________ Why? ___________________________________________________

8. If you had to classify sample E, which colors would you place it between on the H-R diagram?

_____________________________________________________________________________

9. What would be a reasonable surface temperature for sample C? _________________________________

CONCLUSION: _______________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Flame Test Lab

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