Why Does Hydrogen Have Multiple Spectral Lines?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Though a hydrogen atom has only one electron, it contains a large number of shells, so when this single electron jumps from one shell to another, a photon is emitted, and the energy difference of the shells causes different wavelengths to be released... hence, mono-electronic hydrogen has many spectral lines.

Why does hydrogen spectra have so many lines?

when a hydrogen atom, having different energy levels absorbs energy the only electron can go any of the energy levels & while radiating different spectral lines observed.

Why do elements have multiple spectral lines?

Because there are many allowed energy states above the ones that are filled in an element’s ground state electron configuration there are multiple spectral lines in a given element.

Why are only 4 lines seen in the hydrogen emission spectrum?

This is explained in the Bohr model by the realization that the electron orbits are not equally spaced. ... The electron energy level diagram for the hydrogen atom. He found that the four visible spectral lines corresponded to transitions from higher energy levels down to the second energy level (n = 2) .

Does hydrogen produce several spectral lines?

Assertion (A): Hydrogen has one electron in its orbit but it produces several spectral lines . Reason (R): There are many excited energy levels available.

What is wrong about atomic emission spectrum of hydrogen?

Answer: The number of lines does not equal the number of electrons in an atom . For example, hydrogen has one electron, but its emission spectrum shows many lines. ... Hence, the photons of an emission spectrum represent a variety of possible energy levels.

Which element has the most spectral lines?

Mercury : the strongest line, at 546 nm, gives mercury a greenish color. Fig. 2. When heated in a electric discharge tube, each element produces a unique pattern of spectral `lines’.

What are spectral lines caused by?

Spectral lines are produced by transitions of electrons within atoms or ions . As the electrons move closer to or farther from the nucleus of an atom (or of an ion), energy in the form of light (or other radiation) is emitted or absorbed....

What do spectral lines tell us?

From spectral lines astronomers can determine not only the element, but the temperature and density of that element in the star. The spectral line also can tell us about any magnetic field of the star . The width of the line can tell us how fast the material is moving. We can learn about winds in stars from this.

Why do elements have more than one spectral line why aren’t there infinitely many lines?

Why do elements have more than one spectral line why aren’t there infinitely many lines? Its because, elements have electrons in orbitals . In addition there will be infinite number of empty orbitals. So when transitions occur in the atoms of an element, they absorb/release energy in the form of spectral lines.

Why don’t we see more lines in the hydrogen emission spectrum?

Although hydrogen has only one electron, it contains many energy levels . When its electron jumps from higher energy level to a lower one, it releases a photon. Those photons cause different colours of light of different wavelengths due to the different levels.

Why don’t we observe the transition from n2 n1 for the hydrogen atom in the line spectrum?

corresponding to electrons dropping down from an excited state to the ground (n = 1) state. We don’t see these wavelengths with our eyes because they are in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum .

What is the cause of a single line in the emission spectrum?

Emission lines occur when the electrons of an excited atom, element or molecule move between energy levels, returning towards the ground state . The spectral lines of a specific element or molecule at rest in a laboratory always occur at the same wavelengths.

How do you find the number of spectral lines?

For example, suppose one atom with an electron at energy level 7 (n2=7). That electron can “de-excite” from n2=7 to n1=6,5,4,3,2, or 1. All those transitions give one spectral line for each. Thus, total of 1×6=n1(n2−n1) (foot note 1) spectral lines would be present in the spectrum.

How many spectral lines does helium have?

A matching absorption spectrum occurs when light passes through a material and is absorbed by its atoms. The 12 lines of the visible helium spectrum correspond to wavelengths of 388.8, 447.1, 471.3, 492.1, 501.5, 504.7, 587.5, 667.8, 686.7, 706.5, 728.1 and 781.3 nanometres (nm).

How many spectral lines are produced?

Hence the final answer is three spectral lines lie in the visible region for the hydrogen atom when electrons jump from n2=5 to n1=1 in the visible region.

David Evans
Author
David Evans
David is a seasoned automotive enthusiast. He is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering and has a passion for all things related to cars and vehicles. With his extensive knowledge of cars and other vehicles, David is an authority in the industry.