The Atomic Emission Spectrum's Role in the Emission of Light

The Atomic Emission Spectrum's Role in the Emission of Light

Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to provide evidence for the existence of energy levels within the atom by examining their atomic emission spectra.

Background:

In this lab, you will need to have an understanding of the atomic emission spectrum and how energy plays a role with the emission of colors. The atomic emission spectrum is the pattern that is formed when light passes through a prism that separates it into the different frequencies of light it contains. Also, the role that energy plays with the emission of colors is that the color of the light emitted depends on the energy emitted by each electron when it returns to its ground state. In other words, the color of the flame depends on how much energy is given off when the electron returns from its excited state to its normal, or ground, state. In addition, you will need to know the process of what an electron does in an atom before and while it emits certain light. Before it emits any light, the electron changes from a normal state to an excited state, which causes them to be able to move to high energy levelst. The light that is emitted is so specific that you are able to tell which element you are viewing just by looking at their emission spectrum.

Furthermore, you will be required to know how to recognize and read the atomic emission spectrum. As stated, the atomic emission spectrum is the pattern that is formed when a light passes through a prism. An atomic emission spectrum can be recognized as the lines of colors you see through a spectroscope, an instrument that produces spectral lines. To read an atomic emission spectrum of an element, you must know that red has the lowest energy and purple has the highest and that each line corresponds with a color on the visible light spectrum. These lines are able to tell us about the differences between elements, such as, the numbers of energy levels and the amount of electrons in the atom. In addition, you should know how the organization of the periodic table ties into the energy levels of atoms. With the periodic table, you are able to identify and state the sublevels in which the electrons are located. Starting from the left, groups one and two and the element Helium are the sublevel s, the lanthanides and the actinides are sublevel f, groups three through twelve are the sublevel d and groups thirteen through eighteen are sublevel p. With the knowledge of the sublevels, you are able to understand the amount of energy that goes into each electron before it begins its excited state. Also, you will need to be able create the correct type of flame and be able to identify the hottest part of the flame. The correct type of flame is a small, controlled flame, which contains a flame within a flame, and the hottest part of the flame is the tip of