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Detecting Mercury in Water Using Light

The student conducted an experiment to determine if mercury in water could be detected using light and the electromagnetic spectrum. The student hypothesized that adding mercury would cause a red shift in the spectrum, with darker colors diminishing and brighter colors becoming more prominent. The methods section describes how the student constructed a simple spectrometer and prepared solutions of mercury chloride, sodium borohydride, and gold nanorods to test their spectra. The results show that adding mercury caused a red shift in the spectrum in multiple trials. The student concludes that the data supports the hypothesis and that with further development, this method could be used to detect mercury in water.

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Joe Allan
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131 views7 pages

Detecting Mercury in Water Using Light

The student conducted an experiment to determine if mercury in water could be detected using light and the electromagnetic spectrum. The student hypothesized that adding mercury would cause a red shift in the spectrum, with darker colors diminishing and brighter colors becoming more prominent. The methods section describes how the student constructed a simple spectrometer and prepared solutions of mercury chloride, sodium borohydride, and gold nanorods to test their spectra. The results show that adding mercury caused a red shift in the spectrum in multiple trials. The student concludes that the data supports the hypothesis and that with further development, this method could be used to detect mercury in water.

Uploaded by

Joe Allan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Contents

i. Certificate of excellence

ii. Acknowledgement

iii. Abstract

iv. Methods/materials

v. Results

vi. Conclusions/discussions
Iii. ABSTRACT :
My project is to determine if it is
possible to detect mercury in water
using light and the
electromagnetic spectrum. I
hypothesize a red shift of the
spectrum when light is passed
through the mercury solution,
with prominence of bright colors
and waning of dark colors.
I predict this because in experiments
with mercury vapor a red shift has
been seen. With the gold nanorod
suspension there will be blue shift
because the color of the suspension
is blue.
Iv. Methods/Materials :
1. Wood, light, convex lens, prism,
metal sheet,test tubes, pipettes,
beaker, distilled water, scale,
camera, gold nanorods, mercury
chloride and sodium
borohydride.
2. An optical spectrometer was
constructed.
3. Solutions of Mercury Chloride
and Sodium
Borohydride were prepared in
distilled water at 10(-5)M.
4. A spectrum was obtained by
passing light through distilled
water.
5. 10 drops of the gold nanorod
suspension were poured into a test
tube (A),light was passed through
it and appearance of the spectrum
was noted.
6. 10 drops of the sodium
borohydride solution were added
to (A) and any change in spectrum
was noted.
7. 10 drops of the gold nanorod
suspension and 10 drops of sodium
borohydride were poured into
test tube (B, control).
8. Mercury solution was added to
test tube.
9. A drop by drop and distilled
water to test tube B observing the
spectrum. Pictures were taken if
the spectrum changed.
10. Three trials were performed.

v. Results :
1. In my first two trials, a red shift
of the light spectrum was observed
after 4 drops of mercury solution
were added to the gold nanorod
suspension and in my third trial
red shift appeared after adding 3
drops of mercury.
2. In each trial the red shift
remained with further addition
of mercury.
3. There was no blue shift observed
with the gold nanorod
suspension.
vi. Conclusions/Discussion :
1. My data supports my hypothesis
that if a certain amount of
mercury is present in the solution,
there will be red shift of the light
spectrum. There was no blue shift
seen with the gold nanorods
suspension.
2. I suspect I may not have seen a
shift because the shift may be too
subtle to observe with the naked
eye but would be seen with a
spectrophotometer.
3. I would like to investigate this
possibility.
4. In this experiment I have shown
that small amounts of mercury
can be detected in water using
light and gold nanorods.
5. With development, I believe this
testing has great potential in
reclaiming contaminated water
and in performing on site testing
for tap water.

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