Topic 8 - Flame Emission Spectroscopy

Question 1

What happens during flame emission spectroscopy?

Answer 1

• a sample is placed in a flame - ions heat up their electrons become excited
• when electrons drop back to their original energy levels - transfer energy as light
• light passes through spectroscope - detects different wavelengths of light to produce a line spectrum

Question 2

What does the combination of wavelengths emitted by an ion depend on?

Answer 2

• its charge and its electron arrangement
• no two ions have same charge and electron arrangement - different ions emit different wavelengths of light
• each ion produces different pattern of wavelengths - has different line spectrum