Chemistry, Physical Science Unit 1: Atoms, Physics

Hydrogen Emission Spectra

LO: Understand how Hydrogen’s electron energy levels result in the Hydrogen emission spectra.

As we studied yesterday, the Bohr model describes the energy levels of an atom as a series of shells with the the inner shell being at the lpwest or ground state energy.

Here’s a graphic of Hydrogen’s energy levels, the electronic transitions between levels, the Lyman, Balmer, and Paschen series.

(thanks to: “Hydrogen transitions” by A_hidrogen_szinkepei.jpg: User:Szdoriderivative work: OrangeDog (talk • contribs) – A_hidrogen_szinkepei.jpg. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hydrogen_transitions.svg#/media/File:Hydrogen_transitions.svg )

Hydrogen-Emission-Lines

Make a table with 3 columns.

Column 1: write the wavelengths of the Balmer series transitions.

Column 2: For each, write the transition from n’  to n.

Column 3: For each transition, use the wavelength to identify the color of the emission line. (hint, reference the visible spectrum in your book or use the following spectrum;

visible-s

Q: Which emission line has the most energy, which has the least energy.