Flames and Flame Processes

the solvent evaporates, leaving behind formula units of the formerly dissolved salt. Next, dissociation of the formula units of salt into atoms occurs—the metal ions atomize, or are transformed into atoms. Then, if the atoms are easily raised to excited states by the thermal energy of the flame, a resonance process occurs in which the atoms resonate back and forth between the ground state and the excited states. 

FIGURE 9.4 An illustration of the processes occurring in a flame into which a solution of a metal ion has been introduced. See text for discussion. 

We implied in the discussion above that the flame temperature is important. This is true for both the atomization and excitation processes. 

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