Could you help me explain why different elements each produce a unique line spectrum when heated and examined with a spectroscope? My niece is having some Chemistry trouble and there are sites giving different answers.... It would be appreciated, thank you!!
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Below is a copy of paragraph I wrote when teaching chemistry.
At normal conditions electrons are in their ground state. However a flame or electric discharge (or even light) may give an electron enough energy to "jump" to a higher state (higher energy level) called the excited state. As the electron returns to the original, ground state, energy is released. This released energy is in the form of an electromagnetic radiation (such as visible light). Each color of light has a specific frequency. According to the equation E = h * f, the greater the frequency, the greater the energy which is released. Different elements have their electrons in different energy levels. So each element has its own specific energy change, which we see as a color of light.
Below is an answer I wrote to a similar question.
In chemistry, you learn that electrons have excited states and ground states. The ground state is the most stable state that the electron can exist in. The excited state is an unstable state. In the unstable state, the outer shell electrons have too much energy. To become “excited” the electron must absorb energy from a source outside the atom. Heat, electricity, and light can provide the necessary energy.
The strength of the electric field that holds the electrons in the shells determines the amount of energy required for a valance electron to become “excited”. The number of protons in the nucleus and arrangement of the electrons in the shells determines the strength of the electric field that holds the electrons in the shells.
Electrons in atoms of different elements have a different number of protons in the nucleus and a different arrangement of the electrons in the shells. So, electrons in atoms of different elements require different amount of energy as they become excited.
At normal conditions electrons are in their ground state. However a flame or electric discharge (or even light) may give an electron enough energy to "jump" to a higher state (higher energy level) called the excited state. As the electron returns to the original, ground state, energy is released. This released energy is in the form of an electromagnetic radiation (such as visible light). Each color of light has a specific frequency. According to the equation E = h * f, the greater the frequency, the greater the energy which is released. Different elements have their electrons in different energy levels. So each element has its own specific energy change, which we see as a color of light.
Below is an answer I wrote to a similar question.
In chemistry, you learn that electrons have excited states and ground states. The ground state is the most stable state that the electron can exist in. The excited state is an unstable state. In the unstable state, the outer shell electrons have too much energy. To become “excited” the electron must absorb energy from a source outside the atom. Heat, electricity, and light can provide the necessary energy.
The strength of the electric field that holds the electrons in the shells determines the amount of energy required for a valance electron to become “excited”. The number of protons in the nucleus and arrangement of the electrons in the shells determines the strength of the electric field that holds the electrons in the shells.
Electrons in atoms of different elements have a different number of protons in the nucleus and a different arrangement of the electrons in the shells. So, electrons in atoms of different elements require different amount of energy as they become excited.
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