A Convenient, Effective, and Safer Flame Demonstration

The well-described flame demonstration illustrates different aspects of energy, electronic transition, atomic structure, and the electromagnetic spectrum. Burning salts dissolved in a solvent produces visually appealing and vividly colored flames; however, many incidents have been reported from improper use of solvents, and further use of this method has been strongly discouraged. Although alternative approaches have been developed to address some of the safety concerns, they do not match the convenience of use and vibrant colors produced using this new method. Presented herein is a new approach to the standard flame demonstration that mitigates all concern regarding solvent use and restores the convenient aspects and brilliance of color of the traditional flame demonstration without compromising safety.