How to Do Flame Tests for Qualitative Analysis

How to Do a Flame Test & Interpret Results

Performing a sodium flame test
JERRY MASON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images

The flame test is used to visually determine the identity of an unknown metal or metalloid ion based on the characteristic color the salt turns the flame of a Bunsen burner. The heat of the flame excites the electrons of the metals ions, causing them to emit visible light. Every element has a signature emission spectrum that can be used to differentiate between one element and another.

Key Takeaways: Perform the Flame Test

  • The flame test is a qualitative test in analytical chemistry used to help identify the composition of a sample.
  • The premise is that heat gives energy to elements and ions, causing them to emit light at a characteristic color or emission spectrum.
  • The flame test is a quick way to narrow down the identity of a sample, but must be combined with other tests to confirm composition.

How to Do the Flame Test

Classic Wire Loop Method
First, you need a clean wire loop. Platinum or nickel-chromium loops are most common. They may be cleaned by dipping in hydrochloric or nitric acid, followed by rinsing with distilled or deionized water. Test the cleanliness of the loop by inserting it into a gas flame. If a burst of color is produced, the loop is not sufficiently clean. The loop must be cleaned between tests.

The clean loop is dipped in either a powder or solution of an ionic (metal) salt. The loop with sample is placed in the clear or blue part of the flame and the resulting color is observed.

Wooden Splint or Cotton Swab Method
Wooden splints or cotton swabs offer an inexpensive alternative to wire loops. To use wooden splints, soak them overnight in distilled water. Pour out the water and rinse the splints with clean water, being careful to avoid contaminating the water with sodium (as from sweat on your hands). Take a damp splint or cotton swab that has been moistened in water, dip it in the sample to be tested, and wave the splint or swab through the flame. Do not hold the sample in the flame as this would cause the splint or swab to ignite. Use a new splint or swab for each test.

How to Interpret Flame Test Results

The sample is identified by comparing the observed flame color against known values from a table or chart.

Red
Carmine to Magenta: Lithium compounds. Masked by barium or sodium.
Scarlet or Crimson: Strontium compounds. Masked by barium.
Red: Rubidium (unfiltered flame)
Yellow-Red: Calcium compounds. Masked by barium.

Yellow
Gold: Iron
Intense Yellow: Sodium compounds, even in trace amounts. A yellow flame is not indicative of sodium unless it persists and is not intensified by an addition of 1% NaCl to the dry compound.

White
Bright White: Magnesium
White-Green: Zinc

Green
Emerald: Copper compounds, other than halides. Thallium.
Bright Green: Boron
Blue-Green: Phosphates, when moistened with H2SO4 or B2O3.
Faint Green: Antimony and NH4 compounds.
Yellow-Green: Barium, manganese(II), molybdenum.

Blue
Azure: Lead, selenium, bismuth, cesium, copper(I), CuCl2 and other copper compounds moistened with hydrochloric acid, indium, lead.
Light Blue: Arsenic and some of its compounds.
Greenish Blue: CuBr2, antimony

Purple
Violet: Potassium compounds other than borates, phosphates, and silicates. Masked by sodium or lithium.
Lilac to Purple-Red: Potassium, rubidium, and/or cesium in the presence of sodium when viewed through a blue glass.

Limitations of the Flame Test

  • The test cannot detect low concentrations of most ions.
  • The brightness of the signal varies from one sample to another. For example, the yellow emission from sodium is much brighter than the red emission from the same amount of lithium.
  • Impurities or contaminants affect the test results. Sodium, in particular, is present in most compounds and will color the flame. Sometimes a blue glass is used to filter out the yellow of sodium.
  • The test cannot differentiate between all elements. Several metals produce the same flame color. Some compounds do not change the color of the flame at all.

Because of the limitation, the flame test might be used to rule out the identity of an element in a sample, rather than definitively identify it. Other analytical procedures should be conducted in addition to this test.

Flame Test Colors

This table lists the expected colors for elements in the flame test. Obviously, the names of the colors are subjective, so the best way to learn to recognize close-colored elements is to test known solutions so you know what to expect.

Symbol Element Color
As Arsenic Blue
B Boron Bright green
Ba Barium Pale/Yellowish Green
Ca Calcium Orange to red
Cs Cesium Blue
Cu(I Copper(I) Blue
Cu(II) Copper(II) non-halide Green
Cu(II) Copper(II) halide Blue-green
Fe Iron Gold
In Indium Blue
K Potassium Lilac to red
Li Lithium Magenta to carmine
Mg Magnesium Bright white
Mn(II) Manganese(II) Yellowish green
Mo Molybdenum Yellowish green
Na Sodium Intense yellow
P Phosphorus Pale bluish green
Pb Lead Blue
Rb Rubidium Red to purple-red
Sb Antimony Pale green
Se Selenium Azure blue
Sr Strontium Crimson
Te Tellurium Pale green
Tl Thallium Pure green
Zn Zinc Bluish green to whitish green

Source

  • Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 8th Edition, Handbook Publishers Inc., 1952.
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Your Citation
Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "How to Do Flame Tests for Qualitative Analysis." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/perform-and-interpret-flame-tests-603740. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 26). How to Do Flame Tests for Qualitative Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/perform-and-interpret-flame-tests-603740 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "How to Do Flame Tests for Qualitative Analysis." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/perform-and-interpret-flame-tests-603740 (accessed March 19, 2024).