The Balmer series for hydrogen produces spectral lines in which region of the electromagnetic spectrum?

The Balmer series for hydrogen produces spectral lines in which region of the electromagnetic spectrum?

• A. Ultraviolet
• B. Visible
• C. Infrared
• D. X-ray

Answer: (B)

When electrons drop to the n = 2 level, the photons emitted have energies that place them in the visible part of the spectrum. The Balmer series specifically involves transitions from higher levels (n = 3, 4, 5, …) down to n = 2. Those energy gaps produce wavelengths roughly in the 400–700 nm range, which we see as visible light (for example, H-alpha at about 656 nm and H-beta at about 486 nm). In contrast, transitions to the ground state (n = 1) lie in ultraviolet, and transitions to n = 3 fall in the infrared, which is why those series appear in those other regions.

When electrons drop to the n = 2 level, the photons emitted have energies that place them in the visible part of the spectrum. The Balmer series specifically involves transitions from higher levels (n = 3, 4, 5, …) down to n = 2. Those energy gaps produce wavelengths roughly in the 400–700 nm range, which we see as visible light (for example, H-alpha at about 656 nm and H-beta at about 486 nm). In contrast, transitions to the ground state (n = 1) lie in ultraviolet, and transitions to n = 3 fall in the infrared, which is why those series appear in those other regions.