gas tubes containing individual elements such as H and He emit a discrete spectr

Question

gas tubes containing individual elements such as H and He emit a discrete spectrum of light, with only certain colors appearing, based on the formula E=hf for the energy of a photon and the fact that the energy of light must be equal to the energy lost by elctrons, the discretness of colors produced by elements implies that:

a. atomic nuclei are positively charged

b. eletrons are much less massive than photons

c.electrons possess spin and an associated magnetic field

d. electrons exist in discrete energy levels

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Explanation / Answer

c.electrons possess spin and an associated magnetic field

So to understand the color of an object, which arises from its absorption of light,

we must know the array of possible energy levels of its molecules.

In general these energy levels include states of quantized rotational, vibrational, and electron energy.

These correspond to rotation of the entire molecule, vibration of the chemical bonds within the molecule, and changes in the electron configuration of the molecule. With rare exceptions, colored substances that absorb photons in the visible region of the spectrum undergo a transition that changes the electron energy levels of the molecule.

The photon of visible light is absorbed and excites a molecule from its lowest-energy or ground electron configuration to a higher-energy electron configuration. T

ransitions between electron configurations, or electronic states, are responsible for the majority of the colors we see in the natural world.

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