At first glance these glass ampules would appear to be a costly waste of money. I mean how do you really know that inside is the gas it says it is and you weren’t sucker punched by purchasing air?

Well, there is a way. If you fill a glass enclosure with a gas at very low pressure, usually around 1/10th of the atmosphere at sea level, you can light them up with electricity; specifically, a high frequency alternating current of high voltage. With the right type of setup the gas sample can be induced to glow. The gas glows because it is being ionized. The current excites the atoms’ electrons causing them to temporarily kick out of their orbit to flit around a higher one that it can’t hold on to for long. When it bounces back to its natural track it sheds energy in the form of light. Mesmerizing light of many unworldly colors!

Better yet, each gas has its own particular hue. Though nature doesn’t make it brain-dead easy for us by giving each a well-defined color there definitely are differences that are readily discernible and can be used as a signature to identify them.

The effect is actually not unique to gases. All elements give off a color. This is the field of spectroscopy and is used to identify the elements in stars. The problem, of course, is that vaporizing metals requires an amount of heat that can, you know, vaporize the glass and turn the delicate organic hands holding it to ash, so not quite appropriate for the purposes of these collectibles.

On the versions below note that if you are considering buying the ampules display case the best fit will be those marked as “flat bottom” as they can stand upright. The rounded bottom ampules will still fit but will tilt. The 60mm option will not fit at all. This option is simply for those who want a bigger amount to see the gas glowing when ionized with a coil.

Speaking of which, to get your sample to glow you will need a Tesla coil or you can place them next to a plasma globe. Some gases are easy to get them going (neon, krypton) and some need stronger current like hydrogen and oxygen. If you intend on getting a set of each we recommend going with the biggest model you can afford. We also have a few industrial strength coils we can sell guaranteed to ionize the living daylights (heh!) out of them. These units however are not general purpose items and can be dangerous to operate so inquire if interested. Not for kids!