Humboldt State University ® Department of Chemistry

Robert A. Paselk Scientific Instrument Museum

 

The following selections are from: T. Thorne Baker, The Spectroscope and its Uses in General Analytical Chemistry. William Wood and Co. New York (1923).

 

Copyright © 1998 Richard A. Paselk

 

I have used OCR to provide the text, and scanned the figures. I have selected sections which focus on a) spectroscopes and their operation and b) the types of spectral information available using these instruments. My purpose is to provide a historical context for these instruments in the early twentieth century, as well as to satisfy the curiosity of those who, like myself, are fascinated by early scientific instruments.

 

I have provided the complete table of contents to provide perspective, with links to access the available sections.

 

---

 

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

PAGES

Colour and wave-length - Refraction and dispersion - The spectrum,

prismatic and diffraction - Nature of spectra - General

principles of the spectroscope

1-15

 

 

CHAPTER II

 

The prism spectroscope - Different forms of apparatus - Slits,

lenses and prisms - Direct vision spectroscopes - Reading the

angular deviation of a ray - Plane and concave gratings and

replicas

10-44

 

CHAPTER III

 

Adjustment of the spectroscope - Measurement of the refracting

angle and the index of refraction of a prism - Measurement

of the width of a grating - Refractive indices of liquids -

Change of refractive index with change of solvent - Molecular

refractive power - Additive nature of atomic refractive powers

of elements - Resolving power of prisms and gratings - Absorp-

tion by prisms - Anomalous dispersion

45-57

 

CHAPTER IV

 

The spectrum in inorganic chemical analysis-Scaling the prism

spectroscope - Line spectra - Formation by spirit lamp, Bunsen

burner, electric arc and spark - Vacuum tube spectra -

Character of the lines

58-82

 

CHAPTER V

 

Continuous spectra - Illuminantes - Complimentary colours - Fluor-

escence, phosphorescence and calorescence - Chemical and

heat energy of the spectrum - Distribution of energy

83-104

CHAPTER VI

 

Spectro-photography - Forms of photographic attachment -Types

of spectrographs - The construction of a simple laboratory

spectrograph - Resolution and the grain of photographic

plates - Scaling a spectrograph - Photographic methods of

wave-length determination - Industrial analysis with the

spectrograph

105-130

 

CHAPTER VII

 

Plates for spectrographic work - Commercial plates - Colour-sensi-

tive plates made by bathing - Testing plates for colour sensi-

tiveness - Photometric measurements of negative records -

Interpretation of results

131-149

 

CHAPTER VIII

 

Absorption bands in inorganic and organic substances, and their

relation to chemical constitution - The spectrophotometer -

Spectrographic methods of measurement of absorptions

150-I75

 

CHAPTER IX

 

Arrangements in the lines in spectra - Balmer's formula for the

hydrogen series - Atomic weight determinations -The Zeeman

effect

176-185

 

CHAPTER X

 

X-ray spectra-Analysis with X rays

186-196

Appendix -

197-202

Index

203-206

Index of Authors -

207-208

 

 

---

Index of Instruments	Museum Home	Instrument Literature
HSTC (1921-34)	HSC (1935-1953)	HSC (1954-1973)

© R. Paselk

Last modified 22 July 2000