S U N S H I N E C H R I S T I A N B I L I N G UA L S C H O O L

   A N T O N I O R O D R Í G U E Z

  

M R . J O S É P O P O F F  

C H E M I S T RY L A B R E P O RT: E N E R GY O F E L E C T R O N S

  

0 3 / 0 7 / 2 0 1 3

INTRODUCTION

Electromagnetic Radiation

The characteristics of electromagnetic radiation are that energy

can travel by a combination of an electrical and magnetic field,

radiation means that it can travel through a vacuum. Emission

spectrum shows bright lines or bands of color, this means that it

emits or reflects the colors. Absorption spectrum has intermittent

dark lines, so it means that it absorbs the colors.

OBJECTIVES

Observe how a simply diffraction grating

spectroscope works.

Observe and draw the spectra of several salts.

MATERIALS

Bunsen Burner

Lithium Chloride

Potassium Chloride

Copper (III) Chloride

Sodium Chloride

Calcium Chloride

Weight Paper

Copper (II) Sulfate

Color Pencils

Diffraction Grating

Spectroscope

Matches

Presoaked Wood Splints

Incandescent Light

PROCEDURE

1.First I observed the incandescent light, which was hydrogen. I

observed the incandescent light’s spectrum with the diffraction

grating spectroscope.

2.We labeled 6 weight papers with the names of the salts, one salt per

paper.

3.After that, we lighted the Bunsen burner and we adjusted it until we

saw that the color of the flame was light blue or slightly colorless.

4.Then, we dipped one soaked wood strip into a salt and burned it in

the Bunsen burner.

5. We stared at the light emitted by the salts when

being burned with de diffraction grating

spectroscope.

6. After that, we filled in the data table with what we

saw while doing the test.

7. We repeated step #4 with all the salts.

PROCEDURE

Lithium Chloride

POTASSIUM CHLORIDE

IRON (III) CHLORIDE

SODIUM CHLORIDE

CALCIUM CHLORIDE

COPPER (II) SULFATE

DATA ANALYSIS

1.Since each element produces a characteristic

spectrum, what can you conclude about the location

of the electron?

A/= that the location of an electron affects the

spectrum or “color” of the light.

DATA ANALYSIS

2. If you had observed only the color if the flame as

the salt burned, you would have conducted a flame

test. Would you say that a flame test or a

spectroscopic test is more accurate? Why?

A/= I would say that the spectroscopic test is more

accurate because there is less chance of human error.

DATA ANALYSIS

3. Suppose that you had used the same wooden splint to

burn all the salts in the flame. What difficulty could this

have introduced?

A/= If we would had used the same wooden splint to burn

all the salts in the flame, we would have some remains of

other salts in the splint, making it a compound, and if that

would happen the spectrum would be different.

DATA ANALYSIS

Helium was discovered in the sun before it was

discovered on the earth. How could this be?

A/= Because it has a very low density, therefore it

was not found in the sea nor on the surface of the

earth’s crust, not even in the Atmosphere there was

found a considerable amount of it.

CONCLUSIONS

We concluded that there are two types of visible light spectra

that can be distinguished, emission and absorption.

We can observe the wavelength of a light by using a diffraction

grating spectroscope.

The bright lines that we see in the diffraction grating

spectroscope are produced when the atoms receive energy and the

valence electrons get “excited”.