Re: [Phys-l] spectra from flame tests

[William Robertson <wrobert9@ix.netcom.com>]

For what it's worth, I have always had trouble seeing the sodium lines  
against the background of a yellow flame. I can see them with an  
extremely narrow flame, though. Others around me didn't have the same  
trouble, so it might be a personal vision thing.

Bill




On Jan 18, 2011, at 4:22 PM, Brian Blais wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I was wondering if anyone has tried to observe the spectra from  
> classic intro-chem flame tests.  I tried this morning, with just a  
> simple diffraction grating and, for example, some sodium chloride  
> salt (which glows nicely yellow for the sodium) but was unable to  
> observe any of the sodium spectral lines at all: the yellow was just  
> one big smudge.  I thought that either 1) I was missing some more  
> careful method to observe it or 2) that, because of the complexity  
> of the system (sodium, chlorine, methane in the bunsen burner,  
> oxidation, etc...) that the narrow spectra lines get washed out in  
> the interactions.
>
> Anyone ever do it, or, know of a more concrete reason it *won't* work?
>
>
> 		thanks,
>
> 				bb
>
> --
> Brian Blais
> bblais@bryant.edu
> http://web.bryant.edu/~bblais
> http://bblais.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
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