Atomic emission

spectrum: hydrogen
AT O M I C ST RUCT URE
Atomic spectrum
G The atomic emission spectrumof an
element i sthe amount of
electromagneti c radi ati on i t emi ts
when exci ted. Thi spattern of
wavelengthsi sa di screte li ne
spectrum, not a conti nuousspectrum.
I t i suni que to each element.
Investigating hydrogen
G Toward the end of the ni neteenth
century, sci enti stsdi scovered that
when exci ted i n i tsgaseousstate, an
element producesa uni que spectral
pattern of bri ghtly colored li nes.
Hydrogen i sthe si mplest element and,
therefore, wasthe most studi ed.
Hydrogen hasthree di sti ncti vely
observable li nesi n the vi si ble
spectrum red, blue/cyan, and vi olet.
Series
G I n 1885 Swi ssmathemati ci an and
physi ci st JohannesJakob Balmer
proposed a mathemati cal relati onshi p
for li nesi n the vi si ble part of the
hydrogen emi ssi on spectrum that i s
now known asthe Balmer seri es.
G The seri esi n the ultraviolet regi on at
a shorter wavelengththan the Balmer
seri esi sknown asthe Lyman seri es.
G The seri esi n the infrared regi on at
the longer wavelength than the Balmer
seri esi sknown asthe Paschen seri es.
G The Brackett seri esand the Pfund
seri esare at the far i nfrared end of the
hydrogen emi ssi on seri es.
atomic emission
spectrum
infrared
spectrum
ultraviolet
wavelength
Key words
22
Emission spectrum in the near ultra-violet and visible
Schematic series
4 . 5 6 8 6 .1 6 7 6 .9 0 7 7. 3 0 9
a b c d e f
a
3 0 6 0 . 6
H H H H H
V i o le t
R e d
a fre q u e n c y 1 0
1 4
H z)
b Ly m a n se ri e s
c B a lm e r se ri e s
d P a sc h e n se ri e s
e B ra c k e t se ri e s
f P fu n d se ri e s
Balmer series
f

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