Unknown Chemical Compounds

Discussion

The purpose of this lab was to analyse how light and color is created inside an atom in order to deduce what an unknown chemical compound was. We did two different experiments in order to examine how light is created and changed. In one, we looked at how chemical compounds affected a flame’s color, and to determine what the unknown salt contains. In the other lab, we looked at how atoms create light, and how it is displayed on the elements individual spectral line.

The salts used made up of chemical compounds. All chemical compounds are made up of either molecular or ionic compounds. Molecular compounds are the combination of nonmetallic elements, while ionic compounds are made of the reaction of metals and nonmetals. The salts were made up of one metal, and at least one non-metal (Brady, Russell,Holum, 2000). For example, look at the salt ClCu2. The element copper (Cu) is a metal while Chloride (Cl) is a non-metal.

In this reaction, the color is formed by the cation. In Bohr's model of the atom, the electrons are found almost jumping inside of the electron cloud, and in this jump, the color is created (Usborne & Usborne, 2007) . So when the electron is lost and is turned into cations, the color is made. This is easier to see when analyzing the colors of the chemical elements. Potassium Chloride (KCl) and Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) both contain potassium, and they both give off a purple tint. Knowing that it is the cations in the metals making the light, the colors created in the flame test are from the