Spectral analysis

Intro

This is a page to compile, share, and publish research about near-ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectroscopy/spectrometry analysis techniques. Not all will be applicable to our DIY spectrometer, but many are a good starting point for investigation. If you want to publish research, post it on the Public Lab site and you can add it here too.

Some of the below papers describe other types of spectroscopy such as mid-infrared (MIR) or Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and the data they present will not be compatible/comparable with that which we gather in the 400-900nm range. But their methodologies may be a useful reference for those looking to reach similar results in the range our instruments can detect.

For each use case below, there might be several approaches to analysis. Read more about different kinds of spectrometry such as fluorescence, absorption, and flame emission spectrometry here: Spectral Analysis Techniques

Household products

Laundry detergent (for dyes)

Metals and soil

Use tag "soil"
Sodium, aluminum, barium and mercury in soil (Makezine.com)
Method for spectrophotometric determination of amenable cyanide:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/testmethods/sw846/pdfs/9014.pdf
- http://www.saimm.co.za/Journal/v083n01p011.pdf - "The most successful of these methods is the variation proposed by Epstein3, which involves the oxidation of cyanide to cyanogen chloride with chloramine-T. The cyanogen chloride is then reacted with pyridine containing pyrazolones, and the blue colour produced is measured at 630 nm. This method is sensitive, and can be used in acid, neutral, or slightly alkaline media."

Atomic emission spectra databases: