How is the wire loop cleaned before a flame test?

It is dipped in dilute hydrochloric acid and held in the flame, and this is repeated until the flame shows no colour.

Which Bunsen flame is used for a flame test, and where is the sample held?

A roaring blue flame with the air hole open, with the loop held at the edge of the hottest part.

Why is a blue flame used for a flame test rather than a yellow one?

A yellow flame is already coloured, so it would hide the colour produced by the metal ions.

How is a solid sample picked up for a flame test?

The clean loop is moistened, usually with dilute hydrochloric acid or water, and then dipped into the solid so that a few crystals stick to it.

OCR GCSE Chemistry A J248

Chemical Reactions

Topic overview Writing formulae of elements and compounds Balanced equations, and deducing formulae from ions Ionic equations, and state symbols The mole and the Avogadro constant Conservation of mass, and changes of mass in open systems Stoichiometry, and calculating reacting masses Exothermic and endothermic reactions, and reaction profiles Activation energy, and bond energy calculations Oxidation and reduction, by oxygen and by electrons Acids, alkalis and neutralisation The ionic equation for neutralisation, and reactions of acids Dilute and concentrated, weak and strong The pH scale, and hydrogen ion concentration pH as a factor of ten, and measuring pH Products at the electrodes, and molten ionic compounds Electrolysis of aqueous solutions Inert and non-inert electrodes

Elements, Compounds and Mixtures

Topic overview Purity, and melting point data Relative formula mass and empirical formulae Formulations, and separating mixtures Paper and thin layer chromatography Interpreting chromatograms and Rf values Choosing a purification method Metals and non-metals in the Periodic Table Electron arrangement and position in the Periodic Table Ionic, covalent and metallic bonding compared Dot and cross diagrams, and the limits of models Reactions, electron arrangement and Mendeleev's table Carbon's four bonds, and the variety of organic compounds Diamond, graphite, fullerenes and graphene Bond strength, intermolecular forces and predicting state Bulk properties of ionic, molecular and giant structures Nanoparticles: size and surface area to volume Uses and risks of nanoparticulate materials

Global Challenges

Topic overview Extracting metals by reduction and by electrolysis Biological methods of metal extraction Rate against yield in industry, and reaction conditions The Haber process and fertiliser production Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in agriculture Life cycle assessment Recycling, and the decisions behind it Alloys, and the corrosion of metals Comparing glass, ceramics, polymers, composites and metals Functional groups and homologous series Predicting the products of organic reactions Addition polymerisation Condensation polymerisation, and making a polymer DNA and other natural polymers Fractional distillation of crude oil The fractions, and crude oil as a feedstock Dependence on hydrocarbons, and cracking Chemical cells and fuel cells The Earth's early atmosphere, and how oxygen developed The greenhouse effect, and evidence for climate change Effects of carbon dioxide and methane, and air pollutants Producing potable water

Monitoring and Controlling Chemical Reactions

Topic overview Concentration in mol/dm³, and titration Titration calculations, and the mass of a solute Molar gas volume and the volumes of gases Theoretical mass and percentage yield Atom economy, and choosing a reaction pathway Measuring the rate of a reaction, and rate graphs Factors affecting rate, and collision theory Surface area and rate Catalysts and how they work Reversible reactions and dynamic equilibrium Changing the conditions of an equilibrium Activation energy, and enzymes as catalysts

Particles

Topic overview The particle model and changes of state Limitations of the particle model How the atomic model changed, and the structure of the atom The size of atoms, and the subatomic particles Calculating protons, neutrons and electrons

Predicting and Identifying Reactions

Topic overview Groups 1, 7 and 0, and why they behave as they do Transition metals Predicting reactivity from the Periodic Table Reactivity of metals with water and acids Tests for oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and chlorine Tests for aqueous cations and anions Flame tests, and identifying metal ions Identifying a species from test results Instrumental methods of analysis

Predicting and Identifying Reactions

Flame tests, and identifying metal ions

3 things to know
Paper 4

Overview

The wire loop and how it is cleaned, the Bunsen flame used and why, picking up a solid sample, why mixtures give unreliable results, and the flame colours of lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium and copper.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

Describe a flame test: the wire loop used, why the loop is cleaned between tests, and which Bunsen flame is chosen and why.

Key term

What kind of wire is used to hold the sample in a flame test?

Key term

Why must the wire be cleaned between one flame test and the next?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What kind of wire is used to hold the sample in a flame test?
Model answer
A clean nichrome or platinum wire loop, because these metals do not colour the flame themselves.
2
How is the wire loop cleaned before a flame test?
Model answer
It is dipped in dilute hydrochloric acid and held in the flame, and this is repeated until the flame shows no colour.
3
Why must the wire be cleaned between one flame test and the next?
Model answer
Any metal ions left from the previous sample would colour the flame and give a false result.
4
Which Bunsen flame is used for a flame test, and where is the sample held?
Model answer
A roaring blue flame with the air hole open, with the loop held at the edge of the hottest part.
5
Why is a blue flame used for a flame test rather than a yellow one?
Model answer
A yellow flame is already coloured, so it would hide the colour produced by the metal ions.
6
How is a solid sample picked up for a flame test?
Model answer
The clean loop is moistened, usually with dilute hydrochloric acid or water, and then dipped into the solid so that a few crystals stick to it.

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Chemical Reactions

Elements, Compounds and Mixtures

Global Challenges

Monitoring and Controlling Chemical Reactions

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Sodium ions give a bright yellow flame colour.

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