Question

The line spectra are an unchanging characteristic of each of the elements. Explain the connection between line spectra and the electronic nature of the atom. Your explanation must include the following: electron, energy level, light energy, photon, line spectra absorption, and emission.

Answer 1

When atoms are excited they emit light of certain wavelengths which correspond to different colors. The emitted light can be observed as a series of colored lines with dark spaces in between; this series of colored lines is called a line or atomic spectra. Each element produces a unique set of spectral lines

When light is shone on an atom, its electrons absorb photons which cause them to gain energy and jump to higher energy levels. The higher the energy of the photon absorbed, the higher the energy level the electron jumps to. Similarly, an electron can go down energy levels by emitting a photon.

Since an electron can only exist at certain energy levels, they can only emit photons of certain frequencies. when an electron falls from one energy level in an atom to a lower energy level, it emits a photon of a particular wavelength and energy. And due to this transition of electrons line spectra is observed.