Concept explainers
Why doesn’t the neon in the tube absorb orange and red wavelengths.
Answer to Problem 1CQ
The red and orange colors in the emission spectrum is from the transition from 3p state whereas in the absorption spectrum the transition will be from the ground state only so it will not absorb red and orange colors.
Explanation of Solution
In the discharge tube the neon emits red and orange spectrum, this is due to the transition from the 3p state to the excited 3s state. This occurs as the ground state electrons are excited by the electrical discharge. Whereas the absorption spectrum can only start from the ground state as all the atoms in the ground state and the population in the excited state is too small for absorption transition.
Therefore, for the neon in the glass tube there is no population in the excited state to emit the red and orange light. The only wavelength that the neon can absorb in the ground state and excite to the lowest excites state are greater than 16 eV and this energy has the wavelength less than 100 mm. Hence, the neon is transparent to all the visible light.
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Chapter 29 Solutions
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