The
Science Notebook
Lionel Chem-Lab
- Chapter 18
NOTE: This book was published in 1942 as a manual to
accompany several Lionel Chemistry sets of the time. While
some of the experiments and activities here may be safely
done as written, a number of them use chemicals and methods no
longer considered safe. In addition, much of the
information contained in this book about chemistry and other
subjects is outdated and some of it is inaccurate.
Therefore, this book is probably best appreciated for its
historical value rather than as a source for current information
and good experiments. If you try
anything here, please understand that you do so at your
own risk. See our Terms of Use.
Pages 201 - 204
CHAPTER XVIII
FLAME AND BEAD TESTS
If you dip your nichrome wire into certain of
the metals or their compounds, and then hold the wire in the flame
of an alcohol lamp, the flame will have a characteristic color
depending upon the metal used. This is a common test for metals.
EXPERIMENT No. 483 Flame Test For Sodium
(CL-66, CL-77)
APPARATUS:
Sodium iodide, nichrome wire, alcohol lamp.
PROCEDURE:
Moisten your nichrome wire and dip it into a little sodium iodide
solution. Place the wire in the non-luminous flame of your alcohol
lamp and note that sodium gives a yellow color to the flame.
EXPERIMENT No. 484 Flame Test For Calcium
(CL-66, CL-77)
APPARATUS:
Calcium carbonate, nichrome wire, alcohol lamp, test tubes.
PROCEDURE:
Prepare a solution of calcium carbonate by dissolving one measure in
a test tube one quarter full of water. Dip the nichrome wire into it
and hold in the top portion of the flame. Calcium compounds impart a
yellowish-red color to the flame.
EXPERIMENT No. 485 A Test For Strontium
(CL-66, CL-77)
Repeat Experiment No. 483 substituting strontium chloride for sodium
iodide. Volatile strontium compounds impart a characteristic carmine
red color to the flame.
EXPERIMENT No. 486 Flame Test For Detecting
Copper
(CL-66, CL-77)
Repeat Experiment No. 483 substituting copper sulfate for sodium
iodide. Copper salts impart a green color to the flame.
EXPERIMENT No. 487 Flame Test For Phosphoric Acid
(CL-66, CL-77)
APPARATUS:
Trisodium phosphate, hydrochloric acid, test tube, nichrome wire,
alcohol lamp.
201
202 FLAME
AND BEAD TESTS
FIGURE 19
PROCEDURE:
Dissolve one measure of trisodium phosphate in a test tube one
quarter full of water. Add five drops of hydrochloric acid. Shake
test tube thoroughly. Dip the clean nichrome wire into the solution,
then hold wire in the luminous flame of the lamp.
SUMMARY:
Phosphoric acid is formed when trisodium phosphate reacts with
hydrochloric acid. The phosphoric acid imparts a bluish-green color
to the flame.
EXPERIMENT No. 488 A Flame Test For Boric Acid
(CL-66. CL-77)
APPARATUS:
Nichrome wire, boric acid, test tube, alcohol lamp.
PROCEDURE:
Dissolve one measure of boric acid in a test tube one quarter full
of water. Use heat if necessary. Dip the clean nichrome wire into
the solution, then hold in the non-luminous portion of the flame.
Boric acid gives a peculiar green color to the flame.
EXPERIMENT No. 489 A Flame Test For Molybdic Acid
(CL-77)
APPARATUS:
Ammonium molybdate, hydrochloric acid, nichrome wire, test tubes and
alcohol lamp.
PROCEDURE:
Dissolve two measures of ammonium molybdate in a test tube one
quarter full of water. Add four drops of hydrochloric acid and mix
well. Dip the nichrome wire into the solution and hold in the
non-luminous portion of the flame.
LIONEL
CHEM-LAB 203
SUMMARY:
Molybdic acid imparts a faint yellow-green color to the flame.
EXPERIMENT No. 490 Flame Test For Potassium
(CL-66, CL-77)
APPARATUS:
Potassium nitrate, nichrome wire.
PROCEDURE:
Moisten your nichrome wire and dip it into some potassium nitrate
material. Place the nichrome wire in the oxidizing portion of the
flame. Note the color of the flame. A glass filter made of blue
cobalt glass is sometimes used in testing for potassium in the
presence of sodium.
BORAX BEAD TESTS
When heated, borax froths up and melts into a
clear glass. Certain metallic oxides dissolved in melted borax
often color the glass with characteristic tints. Small borax beads
are used in testing for the presence of such metals.
In each of the following experiments first
prepare a borax bead by heating the loop of your nichrome wire,
then dipping it into a little borax. Reheat the loop several
times, each time adding a little more borax until a clear bead of
the desired size is obtained. To clean the wire for another
experiment, hold it in the flame until the material melts off.
EXPERIMENT No. 491 A Bead Test For Iron
(CL-66, CL-77)
APPARATUS:
Borax, ferric ammonium sulfate, nichrome wire, alcohol lamp.
PROCEDURE:
Dip bead into some ferric ammonium sulfate. Place the bead in the
oxidizing portion of the flame. The bead is yellow while hot and
colorless when cold.
EXPERIMENT No. 492 A Copper Bead Test
(CL-66, CL-77)
Repeat Experiment No. 491 substituting copper sulfate for ferric
ammonium sulfate. Copper gives a green color to the bead when hot,
and a blue color when cold.
EXPERIMENT No. 493 Bead Test For Nickel
(CL-66, CL-77)
Repeat Experiment No. 491 substituting nickle chloride for ferric
ammonium sulfate. The bead is colored brown in the oxidizing flame
due to the formation of nickel metaborate.
204 FLAME
AND BEAD TESTS
EXPERIMENT No. 494 A Bead Test Fox Chromium
(CL-66, CL-77)
Repeat Experiment No. 491 substituting chrome alum for ferric
ammonium sulfate. The bead is green in both oxidizing and
reducing flames.
EXPERIMENT No. 495 Bead Test For Manganese
(CL-66, CL-77)
Repeat Experiment No. 491 substituting manganese sulfate for ferric
ammonium sulfate. Note the color of the bead which will be violent
when hot, and amethyst-red when cold.
EXPERIMENT No. 496 A Bead Test For Cobalt
(CL-66, CL-77)
Repeat Experiment No. 491 substituting cobalt chloride for ferric
ammonium sulfate. A blue bead is formed in both the oxidizing and
reducing flames due to cobalt metaborate.
EXPERIMENT No. 497 A Bead Test For Tungsten
(CL-77)
Repeat Experiment No. 491 substituting sodium tungstate for ferric
ammonium sulfate. When the tungsten bead is hot, it is yellow; when
cool, yellowish-brown.
"The Science Notebook"
Copyright 2008-2018 - Norman Young
