Question
Would flame test be useful for detecting metal ions present in a mixture of metal ions?
Answers
DrBob222
It all depends upon what metals are in the material as well as which ones you wish to detect as well as what you are using as a detector. In most situations, the answer is no, expecially if the eye is the detector; however, in some simple mixtures it is possible. For example, Na and K can be determined if they are together and Cu can be detected in some mixtures. There are a few other examples. Probably, if I know the "spirit" of the question, the answer generally is no. If one uses a spectrograph as a detector instead of the human eye, then it is possible to detect (and even quantitatively determine) several elements that constitute a mixture.