Noble Gas Spectra
Every element in the periodic table is unique: from shells, orbitals, photons, neutrons and electrons... Each element has its own eccentricity. And when I had the opportunity last week to see just how special elements are, I was in awe, for my chemistry class was assigned to do a lab on the atomic spectrum of hydrogen. Basically take a gaseous element and seal it into a glass tube (discharge tube), and hook it up to high voltage (image below). What you see through this device, the spectrometer, are unique rainbows, distinct for each element.
Each of the colorful, pretty lines represents electron transitions within the atom. And through mathematical interpretation, using Bohr's theory, we can establish the energy levels and wavelengths, which determine the actual levels that are associated with each wavelength. Fascinating. However, the science jargon was not what first caught my attention, it was natures inherent beauty–NATURES ART, elements in the visual line spectrum. Awesome. Needless to say that I did very well on this lab, for nature had me at hello...I'm a rainbow.
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