Flame Tests of the Elements Lab 1. According to your observations, which metal ion is present in your unknown samples? Explain your rationale. According to the observations recorded, the metal ion Cesium is present in the “unknown samples”. Unknown sample number five produced a violet color when placed in the flame. Unknown sample number four produced an orange color when placed in the flame. Unknown sample number one produced a violet color when placed in the flame. This evidence supports the claim that the metal ion Cesium is present in the unknown samples according to table two, the Flame Spectra of the Alkali and Alkaline-Earth Elements. One must look to see which element has both violet and orange spectra lines. It is shown that the element Cesium is the only element that has both violet and orange spectra lines. 2. Describe two different approaches to exciting the electrons that exist in elements. Offer a specific reason why scientists use different approaches to excite the electrons of different elements. Two different methods that excite the electrons that exist in elements are electrical excitation by a high voltage spark, or the heating of a sample in a hot flame. Electrical excitation …show more content…
This is because when the magnesium salt is heated, its electrons become excited, and jump to a higher energy level. They then fall back to their ground state, emitting energy in the form of ultraviolet radiation, which is not a part of the visible spectrum, and thus cannot be seen by the human eye. Therefore. a perceived color change of the flame is not expected. In actuality, when magnesium salt is put into the flame, it becomes a brilliant white color. This is due to the fact that when magnesium is burned in air, its contact with oxygen causes it to become a brilliant white color (Stewart