Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Heating a salt makes its metal atoms emit a signature colour. The figure is taken from Royal Society of Chemistry, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a science fact?

Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Flame tests identify metals by colour

Heating a salt makes its metal atoms emit a signature colour In a hot flame, electrons in metal atoms are excited and then fall back, releasing light at fixed wavelengths. Sodium gives a strong yellow, potassium a lilac, calcium a brick red and copper a blue green. The test is quick and cheap, though a spectroscope separates overlapping colours more reliably. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Royal Society of Chemistry

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Helium remains liquid at absolute zero under normal pressureWeak interatomic forces and high quantum zero-point motion prevent helium from freezing The periodic table organizes elements by proton countAtomic number dictates repeating chemical patterns across periods and groups Hydrogen makes up three quarters of all cosmic massAs the simplest chemical element hydrogen dominates stellar composition across space Noble gases have full outer electron shellsHelium, neon and argon rarely react because their electron shells are complete Sodium metal reacts violently with waterA lump of sodium skitters across water, giving off hydrogen that can catch fire Tungsten has the highest melting point of any metalTungsten stays solid until roughly 3,422 degrees Celsius, hotter than any other metal

Tags: chemistry, colour, elements

Flame tests identify metals by colour: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Heating a salt makes its metal atoms emit a signature colour. The figure is taken from Royal Society of Chemistry, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a science fact?: Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.