Question

Why does each metal ion have a different colored flame when heated?

	a.	The amount of energy released when an electron relaxes is different for each ion.
	b.	The frequency of the electron is different depending on how hot the sample is heated.
	c.	The amount of energy absorbed when an electron relaxes is different for each ion.
	d.	The amount of energy released is different depending on how hot the sample is heated.

Answer 1

Option a is the correct answer.

The amount of energy released when an electron relaxes is different for each ion.

Hence each metal ion have a different colored flame when heated.

Each metal has its own electronic configuration. The difference in the energy of first excited state and ground state for each metal is different. By absorbing heat from flame, electron is excited from ground state to first excited state. During relaxation, radiation with energy equal to the difference between energy of first excited state and the energy of ground state is released. This energy difference is different for different metals. It gives different colours for different metals.