Continuous Spectra Flashcards
What is the spectrum of white light?
Continuous
What is each line in a line spectrum caused by?
Each line in a line spectrum is due to light of a certain color and therefore a certain wavelength.
What are some features of the wavelength of lines of a line spectrum?
• They are a characteristic of the atoms of that element.
How can you identify the element that produced the light?
- The wavelength of lines of a line spectrum of an element are characteristic of the atoms of that element.
- By measuring the wavelengths of a line spectrum, you can identify the element the element that produced the light.
- No other element produces the same pattern of light wavelengths.
- This is because the energy levels of each type of atom are unique to that atom, so photons that are emitted a characteristic of the atom.
When do you get a line absorption spectrum?
When light with a continuous spectrum of energy passes through a cool gas.
What happens at low temperatures?
Most of the electrons in the gas atoms will be in their ground states.
what happens to the photons?
- Electrons can only absorb photons with energies equal to the difference between two energy levels
- Photons of the corresponding wavelengths are absorbed by the electrons to excite them to higher energy levels.=
Why are the wavelengths missing from the continuous spectrum when it passes through the cool gas?
- Most of the electrons in the gas atoms will be in their ground states.
- Electrons can only absorb photons with energies equal to the difference between two energy levels
- Photons of the corresponding wavelengths are absorbed by the electrons to excite them to higher energy levels.=
What do the black lines represent in the excited gas?
- A continuous spectrum appears with black lines in it corresponding to the absorbed wavelengths.
- Comparisons of absorption and emission spectra of a particular gas, shows that the black lines in the absorption spectrum match up to the bright lines in the emission spectrum.
