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Spectroscopy in Large Lecture Halls
Shows the color spectra of white light and the spectral lines of neon and mercury and various salts.
Procedure
1" x 1" diffraction gratings are passed out to the class, room lights are dimmed, and the class views light from an incandescent light and discharge tubes.Can also burn salts using nichrome wire and Bunsen burner flame. This can only be done in 2722 York. No other lecture halls have gas lines.
Burning salts
Alternate demo is burning a mix of 1 molar solutions of the following salts mixed with 40% methanol in recrystalling dishes.
- Set the crystalizing dishes on an asbestos pad or other heat/flame resistant surface.
- Pour about 10-20 mL onto the bottom of each respective crystilizing dish. (You want to just cover the bottom of the dish).
- Light the salt mixture with a long match or wooden stick. (Do not drop a match into the solution or you will get sodium (from the match) in the salt solution).
- Carefully squirt methanol from the wash bottle into the crystalizing dish. This gets the solution to burn hotter and brings out the color of the salt.
Salt Flame Color LiCl Red NaCl Yellow KCl Lilac CaCl2 Bright Orange SrCl2 Red Orange BaCl2 Green RbCl2
