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Where does a spectrum come from? "Excite electrons fall back to lower energy levels releasing energy in the form of light." Exciting an electron promotes it to a higher sublevel of energy level. This is not the cause of the spectral lines.
It is when they return to the ground state energy is given off. But electrons don't have to go directly there.
In a Hydrogen atom, if the electron falls to the 3rd energy principal energy level, the light given off is in the infrared region of the spectrum. This series of electron transitions is referred to as the Paschen series. If the electron falls to the 2nd energy principal energy level, the light given off is in the visible region of the spectrum and spectral line of color are produced. This series is called the Balmer series. If the electron falls to the 1st energy level, the light given off is t=in the ultraviolet region. This series is referred to as the Lyman Series. The further the electron falls , the more energy it releases.
Bright Line Spectra of Some Elements Since each element has different numbers of protons, neutrons and most importantly electrons, the emission spectrum for each element is different. Is can be used to identify an element in mixtures.
Typical Regents Question of what is in a mixture.
Energy, wavelength and electron transitions
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