Question

The Balmer series of spectral lines for hydrogen appear in the visible region.The lower energy level that these electronic transitions start from ? What transitions correspond to the spectral lines at 379.0 nm and 430.0 nm respectively?

Answer 1

The lower level for Balmer series transitions is n=2, and while not exact, 430.0 nm closely corresponds to an n = 5 to n = 2 transition.

Step-by-step explanation:

The lower energy level from which the electronic transitions of the Balmer series start is the second energy level (n=2). The spectral lines of the Balmer series occur when an electron transitions from a higher energy level to n=2. Specifically, for hydrogen, the transition from n = 3 to n = 2 corresponds to a spectral line of 656 nm in the red part of the spectrum. Meanwhile, other transitions, such as n = 4 to n = 2 and n = 5 to n = 2, yield lines at 486 nm in green and 434 nm in blue, respectively.

To identify the transitions corresponding to the Balmer series lines at 379.0 nm and 430.0 nm, one would likely utilize the Rydberg formula, although these particular values don't exactly correspond to known Balmer transitions based on given reference data. However, the closest known line to 430.0 nm is at 434 nm, which would suggest it results from an n = 5 to n = 2 transition.