CHEM 1701 – Lab 3 – Properties of Elements

Chemistry I for Pre-Health Sciences (online)

*Contains questions adapted from: Late Nite Labs – Flame Tests

__22.5__/24 marks (5% of final grade)

Rationale
Have you ever wondered how fireworks can produce so many different colors? If yes, then this lab is for you! In
this lab you will explore the colors produced by different elements and compounds in the presence of a flame.
Then, you will explore the location of certain elements on the periodic table to see if the location of an element
can be used to predict its chemical behavior.

Learning objectives
The following learning objectives are covered in this lab.

 CLO 8: Prepare for and conduct laboratory experiments to investigate scientific questions using
appropriate techniques.
 LO 2.14: Recognize property trends of elements within the periodic table and use the trends to predict
selected properties of the elements (ionization energy and atomic radius)

Procedure & Observations

 Follow the procedure as laid out in Late Nite Labs
 When prompted to “Save Notes”, instead record your observations/notes in the space below
 Where required, answer in full sentences using appropriate scientific terminology. Note how many
marks are associated with a question and use that as a guide when structuring your response.

Handing in your lab

When complete, submit your completed worksheet to the lab 3 folder under Activities  Assignments in DC
Connect.

CHEM1701 – Lab 3 – Properties of Elements Page 1 of 6

PART A – Lab Notes [2 marks]

INSTRUCTIONS: Use the table below to record the burn color for each sample tested.

Sample Burn Color

Bismuth Light Blue

Lithium nitrate Red

Strontium nitrate Red

Calcium sulfate Red

Magnesium White

Magnesium nitrate White

Copper (II) chloride Turquoise

Barium chloride Yellow/Green

Barium sulfate Yellow/Green

Manganese sulfate Light green/Yellow

Lead nitrate Light Blue

Arsenic acid Indigo/Light Blue

Potassium iodide Purple

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PART B – Multiple Choice [8 marks]

INSTRUCTIONS: Select the best answer for each multiple-choice question below.

1) Which element or compound produced a white flame?

A. arsenic acid
B. potassium
C. bismuth
D. magnesium

2) Which compound produced a purple flame?

A. barium chloride
B. calcium sulfate
C. strontium nitrate
D. potassium iodide

3) What color flame did lead nitrate produce?

A. yellow-red
B. purple
C. green
D. blue

4) Which element or compound did not produce a red flame?

A. calcium sulfate
B. magnesium
C. strontium nitrate
D. lithium nitrate

5) What color flame did zinc produce?

A. light green
B. purple
C. red
D. light blue

6) Which compound produced a light blue flame?

A. potassium iodide
B. manganese sulfate
C. magnesium nitrate
D. arsenic acid

7) What color flame did bismuth produce?

A. yellow
B. green
C. blue
D. white

8) Did barium chloride and barium sulfate produce similar colored flames?
A. No, barium chloride produced purple flames and barium sulfate produced yellow flames.
B. No, barium chloride produced pale yellow-green flames and barium sulfate produced red flames.
C. Yes, both compounds produced red flames.
D. Yes, both compounds produced pale yellow-green flames.

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PART C – Short Answer [14 marks]

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer the questions below in full sentences using appropriate scientific terminology.

9) (3 marks) Which elements had similar results in the flame test?

To be honest, this question is quite confusing. I had a couple elements that

showed a colour that looked like another one. Such as Copper (II) Chloride, it had
the colour of Turquoise. And Arsenic Acid had a bluish indigo colour. Besides
that, I had multiple elements that had the same results of other elements.

10) (2 marks) Which element(s) from the list in Part A: Lab Notes is likely represented by the image below?
Explain your choice(s).

The elements from the list in Part A that is likely represented by the image
below are Lithium Nitrate, Strontium Nitrate and Calcium Sulfate. When tested,
they all had the result of a red colour shown.

11) (1 mark) Refer to your periodic table. What do you notice about the location of lithium, strontium and
calcium? Be specific.

I noticed that the location of lithium, strontium and calcium are all metals. Lithium is in
group 1A or 1 and Strontium and Calcium are in group 2A or 2. They are also all
representative elements.

12) (1 mark) Refer to your periodic table. What do you notice about the location of zinc, copper, and
manganese? Be specific.

Zinc, Copper and Manganese are all in the same row, Row 4. They are all transition
elements and they are all metals.

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13) (1 mark) Refer to your periodic table. What do you notice about the location of arsenic and bismuth? Be
specific.

Arsenic is metalloid (metal and a non-metal) and Bismuth is a metal. They are both in the
5A group and are relative elements.

14) (2 marks) A flame test could be used to distinguish which of the following two substances? How could the
flame test be used? Explain.

a) arsenic acid and lead nitrate

b) lithium nitrate and strontium nitrate
c) bismuth and lead nitrate
d) copper (II) chloride and calcium sulfate

A flame test can be used to distinguish Copper (II) Chloride and Calcium Sulfate. If you
know what colours the flames will produce than you can easily tell the substance. For
example, if the flame is turquoise, then the substance is Copper (II) Chloride and if the
flame is red than the substance is Calcium Sulfate. But multiple substances did produce
the same colour so in that case it might be hard to distinguish the substance if the colours
are the same.

15) (1 mark) Describe the periodic table trend for atomic radius. Answer in full sentences using your own
words.

Atomic radius is how to measure the size of an atom. This can be done in two ways.
Moving from left to right on the periodic table, the size of the atom will decrease.
Electrons are naturally attracted to protons. So every time an electron is added to the
shell, it will attract to protons and decrease the size of the atom. Basically, the electrons
cancel out with the protons. But if you move from the top to the bottom, electrons
outweigh the protons and more shells get added which will increase the size of the atom.

16) (1 mark) Describe the periodic table trend for ionization energy. Answer in full sentences using your own
words.

Ionization Energy is the total energy amount that is used to take valence electrons away
from the last shell. This is done similarly like calculating the atomic radius. Moving from
the left to the right, the removal of electrons from an atom becomes harder as the energy
levels increase. This is due to the fact that you are closer to the nucleus. If you move from
the top to the bottom, more shells are added which enlarges the atom and the energy
levels decrease. When the electrons are farther from the nucleus, they are easier to
remove as opposed to being closer.

17) (1 mark) How does the atomic radius of lithium compare to strontium? Answer in full sentences using your
own words.

Lithium’s atomic radius is smaller compared to Strontium’s. Lithium has one valence
electron while strontium has two. When looking at the periodic table and comparing it to
what we know about atomic radius, if you are moving the top to the bottom, more shells
are added, and the atom gets larger.

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18) (1 mark) How does the ionization energy of lithium compare to strontium? Answer in full sentences using
your own words.

The ionization energy of Lithium is higher than the ionization energy of Strontium. Due to
the fact that Strontium has more shells and the electrons are farther from the nucleus
compared to Lithium which only has two shells.

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