Ionized Elemetal Isotopes with Mass Spectrometry and Breaking Molecular Bonds

The purpose of this experiment was to research the process of ionizing elemental isotopes to determine their mass using mass spectrometry and using the idea to ionize isotopes using the Photoelectric effect and wavelengths to break their molecular bonds. The concepts of the first portion of the lab are based on the work of J.J. Thomson, Sir William Crookes, Fransis Aston, Alfred Nier, and Edgar G. Johnson, to name a few. The the gasses that I ionized were, A Tri-Gas mixture of Nitrogen, Hydrogen, and Argon, Pure Nitrogen Gas, Pure Argon, Propane (C3H8), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), MAP Gas, and finally identifing an unknown gas. I was able to familiarize myself with an Extorr Mass Spectrometer, A Pfeiffer Vacuum pump, and the Extorr Spectrometer programing. The second portion of the lab was to build my understanding on the theory of ionizing the above gasses using wavelengths of light. The theoretical ideas that where used to guide me through the second portion of the lab were the works of Max Plank, Albert Einstein, and the Photoelectric Effect. I was able to calculate the wavelength to ionize the first electron and take the wavelength of three different lasers in the lab. The findings that I had in the lab I was able to gain competencies in learning about the equipment I worked with, display different types of theroems learned in different labs, and get a first had account of what labs in the future regarding my senior research and later on would look like.