Spectroscopy Lab

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Data & Results: Throughout the experiment, knowing how to use a spectroscope is greatly needed. When known how to use, there is an ability to find the wavelength of a certain elements while only obtaining the scale reading. Yet in finding these values, there needs to be an uncertainty, which is 10%. The first element that needs to be experimented first is Helium (He). With Helium, the wavelength of each scale reading was already given, in which lines up with the corresponding colors (Table 1). Even though some of the lines my not be seen, Table 1 shows all the colors of the visible spectrum. Scale Reading λ (nm) Color 10 667.8 Red 20 587.6 Yellow 40 501.6 Green 42 492.6 Blue-Green 45 471.3 Blue 50 447.1 Violet Table 1: Helium (He) This proves that in Helium, the whole spectrum is visible. With this data, there is a way to create a calibration plot with a line of best fit of the wavelengths (λ) of Helium (Figure 1). Also with this graph, the…show more content…
1/ λ = R(1/m2-1/n2) (Equation 2) This will be needed to find the percentage error (Equation 3) of experimental wavelength (λ) and calculated wavelength (λ). % error = │Calc λ – Expt λ│/ Calc λ x 100% (Equation 3) Following Hydrogen, the next element that is seen through the spectroscope is Mercury (Hg). Different from the other experiments, after finding the scale reading of Mercury, there is a comparison among the experimental wavelength (λ) and the actual literature values of Mercury. As seen in Table 3, there is a slight difference between the experimental wavelength (λ) and the literature values. Table 3: Mercury (Hg) Scale Reading Color Expt. λ (nm) ± 10% nm Lit. Values (nm) Observations 27 Orange 567.4 602.1 Very Clear Color 30 Green 551.6 545.1 Lighter 50 Blue-Violet 446.6 450.2 Dark

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