Answers to FLAME Test Lab Qs

1. What patterns do you notice in the groupings? Provide 3 examples.

• Compounds with sodium turned orange.

• Compounds with potassium turned lavender.

• Compounds with copper turned green.• Compounds with strontium turned red.

2. Predict the color of the flame for a substance called strontium sulfate. Explain your reasoning.

• Red. All substances with strontium turned red.

3. Why does the substance only give off colors when heated? What is happening inside the atom? Draw a picture and explain it!

• Electrons jump to an outer energy level when they absorb energy and when they fall back down, they release a photon of light.

e-

e- e

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e-

photon of light

4. Did the metal or the non-metal seem to cause the color change? What is your reasoning?

• The metal. Copper nitrate and potassium nitrate turned different colors even though they both had nitrate in them.

5. Consider the possibility that the electron configuration of a sodium atom jumped from the 3rd shell to the 4th shell.• What is the difference between these two electron

arrangements? Are the electrons in the same locations? Explain.

• Are the total number of electrons the same?

• Is it the same element or something else, such as potassium?

An electron jumped to an outer shell. So The electron is in a different place.

Yes, 11 electrons.

It is the same element! Even if the electron is in the valence shell that would be for potassium, this atom

still only has 11 protons so it is still Na!

6. Do you think gold can be made from lead by changing the arrangement of electrons in atoms? Use evidence from this lab to explain.

• No, changing the location of electrons does not change the number of protons which determines the type of element.