The s-Block Elements

Question

Why do alkali metals impart characteristic colours to the flame?

Answer

Alkali metals impart characteristic colours to the flame due to low ionisation enthalpy, when an alkali metal or its salt is heated in a flame, the valence electrons are excited to higher energy level. When these excited electrons return to the ground state, the absorbed energy is emitted in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum and hence the flame appears coloured.

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