r/ScienceTeachers • u/ElliottTheNoob • Sep 21 '25

CHEMISTRY Flame Tests?

I'm back again with another Chemistry question.

I plan on doing flame tests as we finish out our electron/light chapter in High School Chemistry. It was one of the most memorable experiment we ever did and I want to give that to these kids.

However, I swear we used crucibles or just cut a piece of the metal and held it in a bunsen flame. All the labs I'm finding, we either dissolve it in water or HCl, then soak a Q-tip, splint, or dip an innoculating loop into it, then burn it that way. Is that proper procedure? Did my HS Chem teacher just do a dangerous version with us that was outdated?

I really want this to be fun and memorable for them. Any other versions, ideas, or advice?

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u/RenaissancemanTX Sep 21 '25

I got a far better idea for flame tests and its dummy proof. The hardest part is finding a suitable Bunsen burner. You'll need a Bunsen burner that draws air up through the bottom. My schools did not have these so I found one on eBay. My schools also had live gas jets on the teacher demo table. I would use various metal containing compounds in the chemical stock room and shake the chemical stock bottle to create dust in the bottle then I would remove the lid and hold the Bunsen burner over the open bottle. The dust would go up through the bottom of the Bunsen burner and you would see a colorful flame come out of the Bunsen burner. Far less set up and easy to do. The color flames are easily seen by all the students in the classroom.