This experiment resulted in the positive identification of Pb2+ in Part A and Ba2+ in Part B, as well as the observation of different colored flames when testing various metal …show more content…
Balancing a centrifuge means making sure opposing test tubes contain similar volumes of solution and arranging them symmetrically in the centrifuge. A centrifuge must be balanced before use because if it is not, it will become unstable, break the test tubes, and possibly become damaged. Flame tests are simple to conduct and can visually confirm the identity of a metal ion in solution. Since common cation flame colors are known, it would be easy to identify an unknown cation using this method. However, the flame test could be inaccurate if there is more than one cation present in an unknown solution. The flame test is accurate for only pure metal chloride solutions. Any imperfections or cross-contaminations would compromise the results. Furthermore, some cations may have a similar flame color and would need additional testing to