Emission Spectra

• Emission spectrums are a set of discrete coloured lines superimposed on a dark background
• There are multiple lines as many different electron transitions can happen
• The lines converge at higher frequencies
• The frequency of the convergence limit of the Lyman series can be used to find the IE of hydrogen
• Lyman Series

  Any to n=1
• Balmer Series

  Any to n=2
• Lyman series is in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum
• Balmer series is in the visible part of the spectrum
• The convergence limit is where spectral lines become a continuous band at high frequencies so that separate bands cannot be distinguished
• The convergence limit is caused by the difference in energy levels becoming smaller and smaller as they increase
• Ionisation Energy = h f N