Results and Discussion This experiment has shown that spectroscopy is a useful method for identifying different substances,

may it be in any form. The equation, ( ) was used to calculate for the wavelength of the observed colors and a 600 lines/mm grating. The gas lamps were identified using Electro-Technic Products Inc., Spectrum Tubes description[1]. Table 1 shows the observed colors and their corresponding wavelengths for each gas. Table 1. Observed Line Spectra of gases

Gas Hydrogen

Color blue red violet green blue yellow red yellow

Intensity dull dull faint/bright dull dull bright dull/faint bright duller dull/bright bright/dull bright bright dull/faint bright/faint bright/dull bright/dull brightest faint faint faint faint

Helium

Neon

red

blue green

Wavelength (nm) 499.56 667.47 456.36 500.71 511.34 596.83 679.66 595.7 598.18 603.84 616.92 701.73 625.02 627.49 637.13 644.07 648.99 651.66 662.58 679.67 547.65 586.86

The colors observed correspond correctly with the line spectrum guide thus successfully identifying each gas lamp. In the neon lamp, a blue line was observed but its wavelength is close to the wavelength of the theoretical green line. Unlike the gas lamps, where the observed spectra consist of lines, the spectra for both the heated solid and liquids are continuous. Line spectra are formed because gases have discrete energy levels. When the light hits the atoms in the gas lamp, it excites it causing the electron to go to a higher energy level. When the electron goes back to its ground state, it emits photons. Since gases have discrete energy levels only specific frequencies of photons are observed resulting to the spectral lines.

Continuous spectrum exhibits all the frequencies of visible light, this could be seen in the spectra of the incandescent lamp. Table 2. Observed terminal wavelengths for an incandescent lamp

Color red violet

Wavelength (nm) 619.4 464.98

Table 2 shows the terminal wavelengths for the light source used; this is used for the different colored solutions as the range to which colors must be observed as it is possible that the terminals may not be present. In table 3, the terminal colors angles were taken and were used to solve for the wavelengths, the spectrum for each solution was approximated by noting the colors present and absent in the given range dictated by the observation for the incandescent lamp. Table 3. Observed terminal wavelengths for different colored solutions

Color Wavelength (nm) Observed Colors red 532.977 Purple Solution yellow, faint green, blue, indigo, violet violet 308.015 red 530.68 Yellow Solution violet, green, yellow, orange, red violet 266.947 red 521.94 Orange Solution red, orange, yellow, faint green, indigo, violet violet 275.557 red 519.176 Chlorophyll violet, blue, indigo, light green, red violet 265.511
The different colored solutions adhere to the theory that the solution absorbs the color complementary to its physical one. The chlorophyll solution, which usually absorbs red and blue, absorbed yellow and orange although the physical color of the chlorophyll solution was dark green. The absorbed orange color can be justified by the physical color being dark green, in the color wheel, dark green can be positioned in between the colors blue and green, where the complementary color is in between the colors red and orange.

Solution

References [1] Spectrum Tubes, ftp://ftp.pasco.com/support/Documents/English/SE/SE-9460/SE9460%20Spectrum%20Tube%20Data.pdf