Activity 7

Atomic Theory: Spectroscopy and Flame Test

In this activity, students will be able to (1) observe and record the characteristic flame colors emitted by various
metal ions during a flame test; (2) estimate the wavelength of the emitted light from metal salts using a
colorimeter or spectrometer app; and (3) calculate the emission energy of the observed light based on the
measured wavelengths using the Planck-Einstein equation.

Understanding atomic structure is fundamental to explaining how atoms interact with energy and emit light.
Quantum theory describes the behavior of subatomic particles, particularly electrons, within an atom. This theory
is central to explaining why elements emit specific colors when subjected to heat or other forms of energy, as
observed in flame tests. The flame test is based on Bohr’s model of the atom, which describes how electrons
occupy quantized energy levels and can be excited to higher levels by absorbing energy. When these excited
electrons return to their ground state, they release the absorbed energy in the form of light, often within the visible
spectrum.

Each element has a unique electronic configuration, which leads to characteristic emission spectra when its
electrons transition between energy levels. These emission spectra can be observed through flame testing, a
qualitative method that allows us to visually assess the wavelength of emitted light and, by extension, the identity
of the element. When a metal ion is heated, its electrons are excited to higher energy levels. As these electrons
relax back to lower levels, they emit light at specific wavelengths that correspond to particular colors in the flame.

Atomic spectra
The electrons in an atom tend to be arranged in such a way that the energy of the atom is as low as possible. The
ground state of an atom is the lowest energy state of the atom. When those atoms are given energy, the electrons
absorb the energy and move to a higher energy level. These energy levels of the electrons in atoms are quantized,
meaning again that the electron must move from one energy level to another in discrete steps rather than
continuously. An excited state of an atom is a state where its potential energy is higher than the ground state. An
atom in the excited state is not stable. When it returns to the ground state (Figure 1), it releases the energy that it
had previously gained often in the form of electromagnetic radiation (although it can be released via heat).

Figure 1. Atomic absorption and emission in excited and ground states. (CC BY-SA-NC 4.0; MIT OpenCourseWare).

If the light emitted from the excited atoms is viewed through a prism, individual patterns of lines will be produced.
These lines are called spectra and correspond to fingerprint wavelengths for a specific element. Figure 2 illustrates
how the light from excited electrons can be diffracted to produce line spectra for the elements of hydrogen, helium,
and iron. In order to obtain the numerical wavelengths (in nanometers), one would need to employ some type of
detector.

This property of atoms to excite and release energy upon relaxation enables chemists to qualitatively and
quantitatively analyze atoms called atomic spectroscopy. The fingerprint wavelength pattern produced by an
atom can be used to identify it (qualitative) and the relative intensities of each fingerprint wavelength can be used
to determine the atom’s relative abundance in a sample (quantitative). There are two ways to analyze a fingerprint
 Figure 2. When light from a hydrogen gas
discharge tube passes through a prism, the light is
split into four visible lines. Each of these spectral
lines corresponds to a different electron transition
from a higher energy state to a lower energy state.
Every element has a unique atomic emission
spectrum, as shown by the examples of helium
(He)(He) and iron (Fe)(Fe). (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0;
Christopher Auyeung via CK-12 Foundation)

wavelength, either through an AA (atomic absorption) or AE (atomic emission) spectrometer to determine atoms
within a sample.

Flame testing
If you excite an atom or an ion by very strong heating, electrons can be promoted from their normal unexcited state
into higher orbitals. As they fall back down to lower levels (either in one go or in several steps), energy is released as
light. Each of these jumps involves a specific amount of energy being released as light energy, and each
corresponds to a particular wavelength (or frequency). As a result of all these jumps, a spectrum of lines will be
produced, some of which will be in the visible part of the spectrum. The color you see will be a combination of all
individual colors (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Colored flames from strontium, cesium, sodium, and lithium (from left to right). Picture courtesy of Claire Murray
and Annabelle Baker from the Diamond Light Source.

In the case of ions, the jumps involve very high energies and these result in lines in the UV part of the spectrum
which your eyes can't see. The jumps that you can see in flame tests come from electrons falling from a higher to a
lower level in the metal atoms. In the hot flame, there will be all sorts of excited states of the electrons. The exact
sizes of the possible jumps in energy terms vary from one metal to another. That means that each different metal will
have a different pattern of spectral lines, and so a different flame color. Flame colors are produced from the
movement of the electrons in the metal ions present in the compounds. Fireworks are like flame test experiments.
Firework manufacturers select certain metal atoms to produce desired colors for these devices. Individual
detonators will explode the metal compounds to emit radiant colors of light.
Experiment: Flame test of various salt solutions
Metals emit different wavelengths that may straddle the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet regions of the
electromagnetic spectrum. Flame test is a visual analysis of the wavelengths emitted by an atom in the visible
spectrum. These emissions may be a combination of different wavelengths that creates the defining color of the
flame of the atom. In this experiment, alcoholic salt solutions of various metals will be prepared for ignition and the
color of the flame emitted by each metal will be recorded. Furthermore, the emitted wavelength will be estimated,
and the emission energy will be calculated.

Procedure
CAUTION
You will be using a butane-fueled blowtorch in this experiment. Use with supervision from the instructor; if you do
not know how to operate a blowtorch, ask for instructor’s assistance. Do not turn on for a prolonged period—turn
off the torch once an observation is sufficiently made. Do not aim the blowtorch to anybody, including things that
are flammable. Do not touch the nozzle. Some of the metal solutions are health hazards, do not inhale their
vapors or let the solutions touch your skin.

In one of your group member’s smartphones, download a colorimeter or spectrometer app that can identify the hex
triplet code or the RGB coordinates of the colors in an image. You may test the app first so that you will be used to
its interface.

From the technician, procure alcoholic nitrate or chloride solutions of the following elements: aluminum,
barium, bismuth, cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nickel,
potassium, sodium, strontium, tin, and zinc. Record the color of each solution in your notebook.

Perform flame test on each salt, which may be performed in one of two ways:
1. Using a nichrome wire loop. Transfer around 10 mL of each solution into a small vial or test tube.
Clean the nichrome wire with a loop on one end by dipping the loop in 6-M HCl solution and then
placing the loop right above the dark blue part of the flame from a Bunsen burner or blowtorch. Hold
the loop until no other color is observed from the flame. (A faint yellow may persist, but generally the
flame should remain blue). Next, dip the wire into the test substance and hold it onto the flame.
Observe the color emitted by the flame around the loop with your naked eye and through a cobalt
glass. Record your observations in your notebook. Before proceeding to the next substance, dip the
loop again into the HCl and place onto a flame until no other color is observed.
2. Using a spray bottle. Load around 10 mL of the test solution into an empty spray bottle and spray a
mist toward the flame of a Bunsen burner or blowtorch. Observe the color emitted by the flame with
your naked eye and through a cobalt glass. Record your observations in your notebook.

When a color is observed, capture an image using the colorimeter app. Identify the hex or RGB code of the
brightest color emitted by the flame and convert the hex or RGB code into wavelength using this converter tool:
https://405nm.com/color-to-wavelength/. Record the hex code and wavelength in your notebook. Calculate the
energy of the emitted light using the formula
ℎ𝑐
𝐸=
λ

Where ℎ = 6.62607 × 10−34 , 𝑐 = 299792458 m s−1 , and 𝜆 is the wavelength in m. Record the energy in your
notebook.
Experiment: Flame test of various salt solutions
Data Sheet

Name: Date:
Section: Schedule:
Group number: Score

Fill up the table below.

Flame color observed

Formula of Color of Formula of Wave-
Through Hex code Energy, J
Solution solution cation length, nm
Naked eye cobalt glass

1. Arrange the solutions from the highest emission energy to lowest emission energy.

2. How does the wavelength of emitted light affect the excitation of an electron?