Absorption Spectra of Silver Vapour

Abstract

THE line spectrum of silver vapour in absorption was first examined by R. G. Loyarte and A. T. Williams¹. In their work the metal was vaporized in an electric oven of King's type at temperatures between 1,200° and 2,200° C, and the continuous background was furnished by a hydrogen discharge tube. They found altogether 11 lines lying between 3383 Å and 2320 Å, of which two strong ones situated on the long wave-length side of the region, namely, λλ3382.86 and 3280.66, were ascribed to the first doublet of the principal series of silver atom, and nine other weaker lines to ionized atom of the same metal. More recently, J. Ruamps², using the same type of oven, observed two band systems of silver in emission, one designated as system A extending from 4900 Å to 5050 Å, and the other as system B from 4100 Å to 4600 Å. Vibrational analysis of the second system led Ruamps to attribute it to silver. As to the more complicated system A, because of the experimental conditions, he was unable to ascertain whether it was due to silver or to other kinds of molecules such as AgN, AgO or AgC. Similar analysis of the bands of system B was afterwards repeated by B. Kleman and S. Lindkvist³ both in emission and in absorption.