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1.
In order to excite the metal ions for the experiment, wooden splints were soaked in different salt solutions. One drawback is that wood is flammable!



2.
Wooden splints were soaked in solutions that contained the metal ions. These metal ions, once excited, happen to emit light energy in the visible spectrum.



3.
After being excited by the flame, each of the metal ions emits its own characteristic color.



4.
Lithium is bright red, potassium is violet/pink.



5.
When an electron absorbs energy, it jumps to a higher energy level (excited state). The electron then relaxes to the original energy level (ground state) by emitting energy in the form of light.




6.
Copper adds a green color to the Bunsen burner flame (lower left side). The pinkish color on top may be contamination or a photographic artifact.



7.
If you leave the splint in the flame too long, it will dry out and burn! The camera's shutter was open long enough to catch this student trying to extinguish the burning splint by waving it back and forth.



8.
"Hurry up and take the picture, Mr. Mac! This splint is on fire!"



9.
If you pass white light through a prism, it will separate into the colors of the rainbow. The light emitted by lithium, though, includes only a small portion of the visible light spectrum. However, a prism or a diffraction grating is needed if you want to see these individual wavelengths of light!