New York State Regents Chemistry Question
Many advertising signs depend on the production of light emissions from gas-filled glass tubes that are subjected to a high-voltage source. When light emissions are passed through a spectroscope, bright-line spectra are produced.
1. Identify the two gases in the unknown mixture.
The spectral lines of an element are always the same, so if you are given a mixture of two elements, you will see the spectral lines of both elements simultaneously. Matching the spectral lines in the mixture to the gases from above, the mixture must contain both gas A and gas D.
2. Explain the production of an emission spectrum in terms of the energy states of an electron.
The electrons in the higher energy state return to lower energy states by releasing energy. Each different transition is seen as a different spectral line in the emission spectrum.
