Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Mon, 04/07/2008 - 17:24
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Teaching

Does anyone have any experience with the atomic emission kit that is available from Flynn Scientific?  The set-up is a metal can that fits over a Bunsen burner.  H2 gas is generated from Zn and HCl, which supposedly carries metal ions (Li+, Na+, etc.) up through the can and into the flame for easy viewing of the atomic emission spectra.

In our general chemistry lab, we do an atomic spectroscopy lab and are looking for alternatives to using a spray bottle of spray an ethanol/salt solution into a flame.  The results are spectacular, but kind of scary!  I would love to hear if anyone has any experience with this kit.

Hilary Eppley / DePauw University

I've not used that kit--but I'd be willing to try!  How much does it cost?  It seems like potentially a good investment for us for our introductory course as well.  

--Hilary

heppley@depauw.edu

Sun, 04/13/2008 - 14:22 Permalink
Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College

In reply to by Hilary Eppley / DePauw University

These kits cost about $67 apiece.  We ended up buying one and testing it out.  They are fabulous!  The flame was extremely stable, for at least 15-20 minutes, making it very easy to see the emission spectrum with the aid of a spectroscope.  Even fairly faint elements like potassium work really well, and we have never been able to reliably see these using other methods.  I think this will save on a lot of frustration on the students' part with our atomic spectroscopy lab.
Fri, 05/30/2008 - 16:39 Permalink