Solved cryptogram
Potassium burns with a lilac flame, and a chemist can name a metal by the color of its fire.
Chemistry Facts, sourced to Royal Society of Chemistry.
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What it means
Heat pushes electrons into higher energy states, and when they drop back they emit light at wavelengths fixed by the element. Sodium gives a strong yellow, copper a blue green, strontium a deep red and potassium a pale lilac that a sodium contamination will drown out. The same principle scaled up lets astronomers read the composition of a star from its spectrum.
The claim comes from Royal Society of Chemistry.
- SourceRoyal Society of Chemistry
- CollectionChemistry Facts
- Difficultymedium
- Length72 letters, 19 unique
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