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Item #P2-9900-05
Spectroscopy
NexGen Spectrum Tube, Hydrogen
$48.00
Bundle Discount
| Unit Price | $48.00 |
| 6+ | $44.20 |
Map the Balmer series with hydrogen's visible emission lines
The NexGen Spectrum Tube, Hydrogen contains low-pressure hydrogen gas and powers with the NexGen Spectrum Tube Power Supply. When energized, it glows pink-red. Through a spectroscope or diffraction grating, the light separates into four distinct visible lines: H-alpha at 656.3 nm (red), H-beta at 486.1 nm (cyan), H-gamma at 434.0 nm (violet), and H-delta at 410.2 nm (deep violet). These four lines are the visible portion of the Balmer series.
The hydrogen spectrum is the most important spectrum in the history of atomic physics. Johann Balmer's 1885 equation fitting the visible wavelengths, Niels Bohr's 1913 quantum model explaining them, and de Broglie's wave interpretation of electron orbits all trace back to these four measurable lines. Students who use a spectrometer to measure the Balmer series and calculate the Rydberg constant from it are replicating the foundational experiment of modern atomic theory, not a simulation of it.
Why Teachers Love It
The Essential Tube for Teaching Atomic Structure – Hydrogen's Balmer series is the core experimental evidence behind the Bohr model, energy level diagrams, and the Rydberg formula. Students who measure these four lines are working with the same data that built modern atomic theory.
Built for Long-Term Classroom Use – No internal electrodes means the tube resists the wear that shortens conventional spectrum tube life. A hard polymer shell protects the glass from everyday bumps and drops.
Continuous Use with the NexGen Power Supply – No timing restrictions. Students spend as long as they need locating and recording each of the four Balmer lines without a 30-second countdown.
Product Details
What You Can Teach with the NexGen Spectrum Tube, Hydrogen
High School Physics
- The Bohr model: electrons occupy discrete energy levels, and photon emission occurs during downward transitions
- Identifying the four Balmer series lines: H-alpha (656 nm), H-beta (486 nm), H-gamma (434 nm), H-delta (410 nm)
- Using the Rydberg formula to predict and then verify visible hydrogen line positions experimentally
- Historical context: how hydrogen's four visible lines led Bohr to the quantized atom model
AP Physics / Modern Physics
- Calculating the Rydberg constant from measured Balmer series wavelengths and comparing to the accepted value
- Energy level diagrams for hydrogen: relating measured wavelengths to principal quantum numbers n=2 through n=6
- The de Broglie wavelength interpretation: why electron standing waves produce discrete energy levels
- Extending the hydrogen model to helium and heavier atoms: where the simple Bohr approach breaks down
Products being sold are not toys. They are for Educational / Laboratory use only. They are not for use by children 12 and under.
Product Specifications
Specs:
Tube length: approximately 15.5 cm
Shell: Hard polymer
Compatible with: NexGen Spectrum Tube Power Supply (P2-9910)
What's Included:
1 x Hydrogen Spectrum Tube
Note: NexGen Spectrum Tube Power Supply (P2-9910) required, sold separately.
FAQ
No specifications available.
Warning: California Residents
WARNING: Cancer & Reproductive Harm — www.P65Warnings.ca.gov
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