Final answer:
The color of a flame when a metal is burnt depends on the specific metal, with possibilities including red, yellow, blue, or green as observed in lab flame tests.
Step-by-step explanation:
The color of a flame when a metal is burnt depends on the metal itself. Each metal produces a characteristic flame color due to the energy released by electrons transitioning to a lower energy state. For example, burning sodium (like in some street lamps) tends to produce a yellow flame, whereas burning copper, like in a chemistry lab flame test, would produce a green flame. Similarly, a flame might burn red with strontium or blue with copper chloride.
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