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Velvet Digest

How do you use platinum wire for flame test?

Author

Ava Hall

Updated on May 18, 2026

  1. FLAME TESTS.
  2. Carrying out a flame test.
  3. Practical details. Clean a platinum or nichrome (anickel-chromium alloy) wire by dipping it into concentratedhydrochloric acid and then holding it in a hot (non-luminous)Bunsen flame. Repeat this until the wire doesn'tproduce any colour in the flame.

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In this manner, why is platinum wire used in flame test?

1) Platinum doesn't impart any color tothe flame. 2) It is not oxidised under the high temperatureof the flame from a bunsen burner. A platinum wire iscleaned by dipping it into concentrated HNO3 and then placing it inthe non luminous part of the bunsen flame.

Also, why is Nichrome wire used in flame tests? Nichrome wire is often used as analternative to platinum for flame testing. Flametesting can be used to identify the presence of a smallnumber of metal ions in a compound (Not all metal ions giveflame colours). Different compounds produce differentflame colours.

People also ask, what is platinum wire used for?

Platinum wire is used for flame tests andespecially bead tests of minerals and other unidentified inorganiccompounds.

Which acid is used in flame test?

Inflame test compounds of some metals, in presence of conc.HCl, form different colored flames. In this test thecompounds become volatile and then vapors form different coloredflame's.

Related Question Answers

How can you identify an unknown using a flame test?

Chemists use this same principle to determine theidentity of unknown metals using a flame test. Duringa flame test, chemists take an unknown metal and putit under a flame. The flame will turn differentcolors based on which metal is in the substance. The scientists canthen identify their unknown substance.

Why h2so4 is not used in flame test?

Why is concentrated sulphuric acid orconcentrated nitric acid not used in a flame test?Conc. H2SO4 and HNO3 is not used because the sulphateand nitrate salts are less volatile and even decompose on theflame giving oxide which less ionisable.

Why platinum is so expensive?

The biggest advantage of white gold over platinumis certainly the cost. Platinum is more expensivebecause it is rarer and mined much less than gold. Also,platinum is more dense than gold, so the same ringwill weigh significantly more in platinum than in gold (andprecious metals are priced by weight).

What is the flame color of calcium?

orange

What is the flame color of potassium?

Flame Tests
Element color
Sodium strong, persistent orange
Potassium lilac (pink)
Rubidium red (red-violet)
Cesium blue/violet (see below)

Why does sodium burn orange?

Why does sodium burn with an orange flame?The electrons in sodium change energy level when heated. Theelectron drops back down in energy, emitting a photon of certainwavelength and hence color. The specific wavelengths emitted are inthe yellow/orange part of the em spectrum.

Does platinum react with acid?

Platinum and gold are two metals which cannotreact with any acids, so they are called noblemetals. They can only be dissolved in a solution of aqua regia,which is a mixture of HCl and HNO3 in the ratio of 3:1. Aqua regia,has available chlorine, which reacts with the noble metalsand dissolve it.

What are the limitations of flame test?

Limitations of the Flame Test The test cannot detect low concentrations ofmost ions. The brightness of the signal varies from one sample toanother. For example, the yellow emission from sodium is muchbrighter than the red emission from the same amount of lithium.Impurities or contaminants affect the testresults.

What color is pure platinum?

Platinum is a colour it's a metallic tint of palegrayish white which resembling the metalplatinum..

What is so special about Platinum?

Platinum is more ductile than gold, silver orcopper, thus being the most ductile of pure metals, but it is lessmalleable than gold. The metal has excellent resistance tocorrosion, is stable at high temperatures and has stable electricalproperties.

How can you tell Platinum?

Find any marks indicating platinumjewelry. Therefore, all platinum jewelry will be markedto show authenticity. Look for the words “Platinum,"“PLAT," or “PT” followed or preceded by thenumbers “950” or “999." These numbers refer tothe purity of the platinum, with “999” as themost pure.

What is the price of platinum?

Live Metal Spot Price (24hrs) Sep 25, 2019 at 21:52 EST
Platinum Spot Prices Today Change
Platinum Price / Oz $ 935.10 -22.00
Platinum Price Per Gram $ 30.06 -0.71
Platinum Price Per Kilo $ 30,064.16 -707.32

What causes the colors observed during flame tests?

The colors observed during the flame testresult from the excitement of the electrons caused by theincreased temperature. The electrons "jump" from their ground stateto a higher energy level. The color emitted by larger atomsis lower in energy than the light emitted by smalleratoms.

Why are there different colors for different metal ions?

When you heat an atom, some of its electrons are"excited* to higher energy levels. When an electron drops from onelevel to a lower energy level, it emits a quantum of energy. Thedifferent mix of energy differences for each atom producesdifferent colours. Each metal gives a characteristicflame emission spectrum.

Why does potassium burn purple?

This is an exothermal reaction and potassium isheated to such an extend that it burns a purpleflame. Additionally, hydrogen released during the reaction stronglyreacts with oxygen and ignites. Potassium reacts with watermore slowly than does rubidium, which is placed underpotassium in the periodic chart.

What are flame tests used for in real life?

A flame test is an analytic procedure usedin chemistry to detect the presence of certain elements, primarilymetal ions, based on each element's characteristic emissionspectrum. The color of flames in general also depends ontemperature; see flame color.

How do you do a flame test?

Flame tests for metal ions
  1. dip a clean wire loop into a solid sample of the compound beingtested.
  2. put the loop into the edge of the blue flame from a Bunsenburner.
  3. observe and record the flame colour produced.

What is the importance of flame test?

flame test, test used in theidentification of certain metals. It is based on the observationthat light emitted by any element gives a unique spectrum whenpassed through a spectroscope. When a salt of the metal isintroduced into a Bunsen burner flame, the metallic ionproduces characteristic color in theflame.