Question

in the flame test, using CaCl2 (orange), KCl (light orange), NaCl (yellow), CuCl2 (green), SrCl2 (red/orange), and BaCl2 (yellow), explain the difference in color im scientific terms and determine the spectrum for the cations used. Note: for the spectrum, you can use reputable sources.

Answer 1

The electrons in each metal atom are excited from their basal state to an excited state, this is, the electrons are promoted to orbitals with higher energy as they absorb the needed energy; when the electrons fall back to their original state, they release the energy as photons. Depending upon the metal is the energy separation between the basal and excited states; as the energy of a photon determines the color they emit, each metal atom will possess a characteristic color.