On Tuesday, in a darkened room, bright and colourful chemical flames blazed green, amber and red, as students conducted an experiment to identify positive metal ions in ionic compounds. Wooden sticks, which had been soaked in a range of metal solutions, were carefully placed over blue Bunsen flames and produced different colours which lit up the room.
As their flames changed colour, the students saw first-hand how the colour of the flame could show certain metal ions in chemical compounds. After each test, students wrote down the flame colours next to each ion present, with copper’s blue-green flame and potassium’s lilac hue proving the most exciting to behold.
Our Year 11 GCSE Chemistry students really enjoyed the experiment, which not only taught them about scientific process, but also demonstrated how interesting and colourful Chemistry can be!
