Spectroscope Apps: Light vs Radio-Based Analysis

[Clutch Bangstrip]

A while back, I had one of many experiences my senior year... That made me super interested in science, in general. In my class, we used some type of rainbow graph-binocular-like machine contraption-thingy that basically showed us what stuff contained. It was called a spectrograph/gram/scope/I forgot.

I recently thought to myself, outta the blue, "It would be cool if your phone could do that." but I can't find an app that uses light, it's all radio based. Is there really no app for this? Are the components for those things I used, about 2 years ago, impossible to implement on android cameras?

Btw, sorry for my total ignorance...

 

[Mark44]

A while back, I had one of many experiences my senior year... That made me super interested in science, in general. In my class, we used some type of rainbow graph-binocular-like machine contraption-thingy that basically showed us what stuff contained. It was called a spectrograph/gram/scope/I forgot.

Probably a gas chromatograph mass spectroscopy machine -- see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography–mass_spectrometry. It takes a sample of material, heats it until it vaporizes, and then analyzes the spectrum of light that is produced to determine what the sample contains.

I recently thought to myself, outta the blue, "It would be cool if your phone could do that." but I can't find an app that uses light, it's all radio based. Is there really no app for this? Are the components for those things I used, about 2 years ago, impossible to implement on android cameras?

Btw, sorry for my total ignorance...

Can your phone heat up something until it vaporizes?

 

[BillTre]

Can your phone heat up something until it vaporizes?

... if it is not on fire.

 

[Mark44]

... if it is not on fire.

But if the phone's on fire, it probably won't be able to analyze some other material.

 

[Clutch Bangstrip]

Probably a gas chromatograph mass spectroscopy machine -- see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography–mass_spectrometry. It takes a sample of material, heats it until it vaporizes, and then analyzes the spectrum of light that is produced to determine what the sample contains.
Can your phone heat up something until it vaporizes?

Nah, that's not it.

It was something like this, maybe.


It was like the light that shined off the material told you what the material largely consisted of. But it had to have a significant amount of light shining on the material in order to see any changes on the graph.

 

[phinds]

Can your phone heat up something until it vaporizes?

The entire question should be, can your phone heat up something until it vaporizes at one location, shine a light through the material from that location as well, and then simultaneously analysis that light from a different location?

 

[Tap Banister]

Nah, that's not it.

It was something like this, maybe.It was like the light that shined off the material told you what the material largely consisted of. But it had to have a significant amount of light shining on the material in order to see any changes on the graph.

This is what you're talking about.

A spectroscope.

Your phone could potentially replicate this tool, much like the video in your post, but that's only half the battle. If you want it to work in the way you described; there's no app for that. A lot more's at work than what you remember seeing.

 

[Clutch Bangstrip]

This is what you're talking about.

View attachment 244315
A spectroscope.

Your phone could potentially replicate this tool, much like the video in your post, but that's only half the battle. If you want it to work in the way you described; there's no app for that. A lot more's at work than what you remember seeing.

I found info on what you're talking about. People had tube-shaped scopes; instruments that weren't too complicated, but what they were looking at wasn't just random materials. There was a mechanism, that I assume heated up the materials and that's what they used the scope on. On top of that, I've read that that is, indeed, what needs to happen.

My memory is super-damn fuzzy so forgive me if I forgot that step. Hell, I still don't remember the machine and it may not have helped that it was dark in my class. But given everything I've read and watched, for me to have seen what I remembered, it had to be there. Here, I was thinking it was just the plastic scope responsible for it all...

Anyway, thanks to everyone for their help.