Bi-centennial of Robert Bunsen's Birth



Reminded by Google's search page, Today is the 200th birthday of Robert Bunsen.  Known to high school students for his invention of the eponymous gas burner,  Bunsen did a lot more.  His burner invention was a means to an end.  To study the emission spectra of heated elements, one needs a source of clean and transparent heat -  either a hot, clean flame (no soot , just hot gas),  a source of hot inert gas heated by other means, or a source of directed light (e.g. UV) that energizes the sample without damaging it.  The simplest method is to use a flame containing only hot water and CO₂. 

Google's doodle for today looks like this

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NY police: Suspect dies after swallowing drugs
NYC Wire Published: Yesterday UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -
A Long Island man who was being apprehended by police died after authorities say he swallowed what appeared to be crack or cocaine and went into cardiac arrest. Newsday reports that police say they witnessed 43-year-old Benjamin Jackson involved in a possible drug deal early Sunday and approached him on Planders Avenue in Uniondale. The newspaper says officers heard a crunching noise and saw Jackson spit out the suspected drug. The officers placed Jackson in handcuffs and called an ambulance. Police say Jackson went into cardiac arrest before the ambulance arrived. The officers performed CPR and regained a pulse, but Jackson was later pronounced dead at Nassau University Medical Center. Newsday says Jackson's family and friends declined to comment Sunday. The medical examiner's report is pending. ___ Information from: Newsday, http://www.newsday.com