One of the first things looked at was pH. The observed pH was 4. This …show more content…
Different cations when heated produced a different colored flame. The color of this flame was determined by the movement of electrons between the levels in the atom. When the fire heats the atom the elements jump levels because they gain energy, then as they fall back down in the orbitals they release energy which gives off the colored flame (Clark). Magnesium is different than many other elements, while it appears to emit no light it actually produces white light. This is because magnesium reacts with the oxygen in the air to produce magnesium oxide which is very hot and emits all the visible wavelengths at similar frequencies (USCB Science Line). A tool used was the cobalt blue glass to block the yellow light from the sodium because the sodium would over power the other colors. The blue glass blocked the yellow light because the yellow light was absorbed by the blue glass since they are complementary colors (Color Subtraction). Nichrome wire is the wire used to hold the metal ions on it so the flame can burn them and make the flame a different color. It is used because when heated nicrhome produces a very slight orange that is hard to notice compared to the other flame colors. A platinum wire would be best because that produces no color, however platinum is a lot more expensive compared to nichrome (Nichrome Wire – Flame