C2.11 Ion tests

Ion tests

Flame tests are carried out on samples of ionic substances. The most intense colours are obtained from solids, but flame tests also work when the solids are dissolved in water. 

Flame tests are led to the discovery of new elements. in 1860, Robert Bunson (1811-1899) and Gustav Kirchhoff (1824-1887) used simple spectroscopy to study the light given off in flame tests by some samples of mineral water. They used a prism to separate the colours in the light onto a spectrum and saw a grey-blue colour they had not been seen before. They realised that they had not been seen before. They realised that they had discovered a new element, which they…