Experiment Follow up:
1. What are the two unknown ions?
2. The electrons in what chemical produced the greatest energy change.
Explain how you can tell.
3. What causes, in reference to the electrons, the different colors for the
differentchemicals?
4. For your two unknown substances, write the electron configuration (both
shorthand and longhand) for the neutral atoms. How many valence
electrons do they have?
Use the table below to answer questions 5 – 12.
Red / Orange / Yellow-orange / Green / Blue-green / Pink-lilaclithium nitrate
LiNO3 / calcium nitrate
Ca(NO3)2 / sodium nitrate
NaNO3 / barium nitrate
Ba(NO3)2 / copper nitrate
Cu(NO3)2 / potassium nitrate
KNO3
lithium chloride
LiCl / calcium chloride
CaCl2 / sodium chloride
NaCl / barium chloride
BaCl2 / copper chloride
CuCl2 / potassium chloride
KCl
lithium sulfate
LiSO4 / calcium sulfate
CaSO4 / sodium sulfate
Na2SO4 / barium sulfate
BaSO4 / copper sulfate
CuSO4 / potassium sulfate
K2SO4
lithium
Li / calcium
Ca / sodium
Na / barium
Ba / copper wire
Cu / potassium
K
5. Predict the color of the flame for the compound sodium hydroxide, NaOH.
Explain your reasoning.
6. Imagine you were in charge of creating a red and purple fireworks display.
Name two combinations of compounds you could use.
7. Does nitrate produce a colored flame? Explain your thinking.
8. Would it matter whether you did a flame test with sodium chloride, NaCl,
in solid form or sodium chloride as an aqueous solution? Explain.
9. What flame colors would be produced by these compounds? Explain your
choices.
a. Na2CO3 b. Ba(OH)2 c. KOHd. K2CO3e. BaO
10. If two chemical samples both produce an orange flame upon testing, it is
evidence that:
A. The two samples contain identical compounds.
B. The samples both contain chloride atoms.
C. The samples both contain calcium atoms.
D. The samples both contain potassium atoms.
E. The samples contain different compounds.
11. What evidence supports the claim that chloride, Cl-, does not cause the
flame to have a color?
A. Lithium chloride, LiCl, and sodium chloride, NaCl, have different colors.
B. Ammonium chloride, NH4Cl, does not cause the flame to have a color.
C. Sodium chloride, NaCl, and sodium nitrate, NaNO3, both produce flames with a yellow-orange color.
D. All of the above.
Further Investigations:
Description of what other question(s) were raised during the experiment that could be investigated with new experiments. Also a list of possible sources of error and how the current experiment could be modified to eliminate or minimize the sources of error that occurred during the experiment. Be specific.