Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi! My son is doing the project titled "Rainbow Fire" which has to do with Flame Photometry. I saw another post the same as mine, in which the flames are burning the same color every time. Basically, the isopropyl alcohol (70%) burns a nice blueish purple. However, the boric acid, table salt, epsom salt, and calcium carbonate (Damp rid) all burn orange. I burned them with 1 tbs of alcohol, in an aluminum pie pan, with very little light, with a dark background. We followed the directions perfectly, but we still have the same results every time. Any help would be great!!

Thanks,
Mike

Hi MikeysDad,
Welcome to the Ask an Experts forums. That's great you are working with your son on such a fun project. For other experts who might be wondering about the recommended procedure, here is the web page:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p058.shtml
Here is the other thread where this issue is discussed.
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... =26&t=3780
I'll admit, I haven't done this type of experiment in a long time, and I'm at a loss. One possibility would be to try to burn the powder on a wire loop above a flame to see if you get any different results. Hopefully the other experts will have some ideas.
Good luck!
Chris

When I looked up the various chemicals and the spectrums invovled the last time somebody asked about this project, there were a LOT of oranges. Additionally, you need to look at what else chemically is in the compounds you purchased. If there is anything else that produces an orange spectrum in the compound, it will be VERY difficult to see the other colors because of the properties of the human eye. You might try viewing through a welder's face shield. They are designed to filter out a lot more of the red and orange spectrum to protect their eyes.

A more complex setup would use a set of slits and a prism to project the spectrum on a wall to separate the colors spacially.

Hi, I'm the father having trouble with the Rainbow fire experiment. Does anyone know of ANY chemicals that will safely burn any color OTHER than orange in a solution of isopropyl alcohol? The NACL, Boric acid, calcium chloride, and epsom salt all burn orange. According to the RAINBOW FIRE science experiment in Science buddies, they are supposed to burn a different color. HELP! My son's project is headed for disaster!

Thanks,
Mike

Hi and welcome to the Science Buddies Forum! I think you might find the answer in this previous post: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... &sk=t&sd=a

Could you please follow that post, and let us know if you still need help? Good luck.

Keith

I'm merging your new topic with the older one so that the experts can see your problem and see what advice has already been given. It can be difficult to keep track of the many questions that arrive from day to day, so you'll usually get the best help by keeping all your posts in one thread.

Here is a web page that lists some different chemicals and the colors they produced when burned:
http://www.sciencecompany.com/sci-exper/flamecolors.htm
Of course, please use appropriate ventilation and safety precautions when working with flames and chemicals. If you need more safety information about particular chemicals, please let us know.

Another possibility is that all the flames might appear "orange" to a casual observer, but there might be subtle differences that can be observed when the flames are photographed and compared side by side, or when two flames are produced side by side.

You might also want to try modifying the procedure of the experiment to see if you get different results.

I hope that helps.

Chris

Thanks for the reply. I'll try photographing it and seeing if there is a difference.
Mike

Just as an FYI, Science Buddies is reviewing the Rainbow Fire Project Idea and will be making changes to it to make it easier to follow and the colors easier to distinguish. I will post again when the revised Project Idea is put up on the site.

Good luck on the project!

The Rainbow Fire Project Idea has been updated! The new version can be found here: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p058.shtml. This should resolve the problems you have been having.

Thank you!

Hi,
My daughter and I did the "Burning Bubbles" experiment and but she wanted to see if the fire would burn green. So we used boric acid and solvent cement in our dawn soapy solution. When we lit the bubbles the flame was yellow, orange, green, purple and blue. I hope this helps. She changed her project to Rainbow Fire.