The Balmer series is characterized by the electron transitioning from n ¡Ý 3 to n = 2, where n refers to the radial quantum number or principal quantum number of the electron. The transitions are named sequentially by Greek letter: n = 3 to n = 2 is called H-¦Á, 4 to 2 is H-¦Â, 5 to 2 is H-¦Ã, and 6 to 2 is H-¦Ä. As the spectral lines associated with this series are located in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, these lines are historically referred to as H-alpha, H-beta, H-gamma and H-delta where H is the element hydrogen.
Balmer Series (Second) (visible light) n=2 limit = 365 nm
n = 3, ¦Ë = 656.3 nm, ¦Á, color emitted: red
n = 4, ¦Ë = 486.1 nm, ¦Â, color emitted: bluegreen
n = 5, ¦Ë = 434.1 nm, ¦Ã, color emitted: violet
n = 6, ¦Ë = 410.2 nm, ¦Ä, color emitted: violet
Although physicists were aware of atomic emissions before 1885, they lacked a tool to accurately predict where the spectral lines should appear. The Balmer equation predicts the four......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 665
Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |