Flame Emissions Lab
For this experiment, we were to test various compounds in watch glasses, igniting them to observe their respective colors when in the form of flames. It was really interesting to see the different reactions certain chemicals had with the control substance of methanol, and how those differences changed their appearances. During this process, I learned a lot about how specific elements cause visual aspects to change. For example, a makeup involving a strong presence of oxygen caused the flame to look more green, while calcium causes a flame to display a more blueish tint. I also became more knowledgeable on how to organize and formulate an official lab report after multiple revisions to my own document. This critique process really helped me grow as a student, because I was able to apply the suggestions from Mr. Matt and fellow peers to improve my work as a whole. I now know how to write a professional and well-crafted lab report, no matter what the topic would be. As a follow up for this activity, I think it would be a good idea to identify which elements contribute to the colors presented throughout the experiment. Where did the orange come from? Or the magenta? By moving forward with the element and color comparison, I could pinpoint specific attributes that help a flame to look a certain way. Once I determined what certain elements looked like in a flame, it would be both a challenge and a reasonable next step to be given a formula of elements, and predict what color the compound would be based on what we already knew.
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Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this experiment, and it has been my favorite part of Chemistry so far. While I'm sure we'll do many more visually-appealing experiments in the future, this one was really unique in the sense that each flame looked like no other.
Below, you will find my lab report that I wrote with my partner. Thanks! |