Equipment:
- A piece of magnesium
- Bunsen burner
- Safety glasses
- Metal scissors tongs.
Method:
- Light your bunsen burner.
- Hold your piece of magnesium in the scissor tongs. Ensure you are holding onto the very tip of the magnesium.
- Place the other end of the magnesium into the Bunsen flame (at the top of the blue flame)
- When the magnesium begins to burn, do not look directly at it, as the light emitted can permanently damage your eyes.
Results:
The magnesium strip emitted a white light that was very bright for at least 5 seconds.
Discussion:
The magnesium strip took quite a while to burn, but as soon as it burns, it produced a bright white light.