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Photomicrographs of Particulates
in Air Samples (CHM107 Lab#1)
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Click on the images below to see
a larger version of the image. Use back arrow to return to this
Web page. Particulates in the air were captured by drawing air into a cotton plug. All photos show the cotton fibers with some kind of particulate. (Remember: you can click on image to see larger version.) |
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| Astitine/Magnesium (car samples): This large stalk was segmented. It appeared plantlike, but also resembled an insect's leg. | This is a close up on the previous photo. It shows small granules inside groves of the stalk. |
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| This piece seem to have a central structure surrounded by a semi-transparent sheet. It appeared of plant origin but no color of chlorophyl. | Three spikes on the bottom of this piece gave a clue that it may be pollen. |
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| Astitine/Magnesium (home samples): This was a transparent amorphous piece. Unknown. | This was an unsual particulate. It was somewhat whale shaped and jet black. It is tangled in cotton fibers, so it was hard to see. |
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| Bismuth (car samples): This chunk seemed to be of plant origin. | Near the greenish chunk was a thin sheet of cells. It could be dandruff. |
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| Bismuth (home samples): This was an irregular black particulate. Unknown. | These pieces had a large stem-like structure with a thin semi-transparent segment attached. It seems to be plant material. |
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| This long particulate seemed to be a rolled-up bundle of fibers. | This also looked like a thin sheet of cells. Probably dandruff. |
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| Manganese (car samples). This piece of material looked like a flake of skin. | Here we see a red fiber. It appeared to be synthetic rather than a natural fiber. |
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| This is probably a piece of soot from car or diesel exhaust. | Manganese (home sample): The cotton was quite clean, just a small piece of amorphous solid was found. |
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| Rubidium (car samples): Here is a large bent fiber. This could be natural fiber like wool. | There was also a yellow fiber caught. |
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| Rubidium (house samples): This appeared to be a chunk of short fibers that had been glued together. It may be a piece of carpet. | This green long particulate looked like a creature with head and ears, but it's probably just a piece of plant material. |
| More photos to come... | I don't profess to be an expert in microscopy, so if viewers of these photos have a better idea what these particulates can be, please let me know. Send email to (Ken Costello) costello@chemistryland.com |