>
>3. Flourescent tubes do not contain liquid or mercury; I believe the
>interesting element they do contain is americium ( Am, at. no. 95 ).
>
>Terry King
Fluorescent bulbs do contain mercury. Mercury is a liquid. There is a
powedery coating on the walls to help 'disperse' the emission spectra lines
so that the light looks white (blue-white = cool, etc.). I know nothing
about Americium being put into fluorescent bulbs.
Last year Judy Seigel mentioned to the list, and then sent me some
information, about an excellent booklet put out by GE, "Lighting
Application Bulletin - Specifying Light and Color". It gives the spectral
output from about 30 of their different bulbs. There are two notes which
mention anything OTHER THAN mercury: two multi-vapor bulbs, and some of
their specially coated bulbs contain rare-earth phosphors (it is the
phosphors that change the sharp, spectral emission lines of mercury into
the various whitenesses of light.)
John Bordley