Why do some elements have more spectral lines than others?

Its because, elements have electrons in orbitals. In addition there will be infinite number of empty orbitals. So when transitions occur in the atoms of an element, they absorb/release energy in the form of spectral lines.

What is the relationship between atomic number and number of spectral lines?

I think you are mixing two different n. If an atom has N=number of levels then the number of transitions and therefore number of spectral lines is N−1. However, for energy levels in an atom it is common to use three numbers to label each energy levels. This numbers are n,l,m.

Do all elements have the same number of spectral lines?

Each element produces a unique set of spectral lines. Since no two elements emit the same spectral lines, elements can be identified by their line spectrum.

What causes each element to have specific spectral lines?

The presence of spectral lines is explained by quantum mechanics in terms of the energy levels of atoms, ions and molecules. Emission lines occur when the electrons of an excited atom, element or molecule move between energy levels, returning towards the ground state.

Why do some elements have fewer spectral lines and some elements have many more spectral lines?

Because there are many allowed energy states above the ones that are filled in an element’s ground state electron configuration there are multiple spectral lines in a given element.

Which element has least spectral lines?

Of the elements for which there are known emission line spectra, hydrogen has the simplest spectrum with 4 spectral lines (some show 5 spectral lines)…

Which element produced the smallest number of lines?

Why do spectral lines get closer together?

The spectrum lines become closer together the further from the nucleus. This is because the energy levels are closer together further from the n energy levels they are.

Which element has the most spectral lines?

Mercury
Mercury: the strongest line, at 546 nm, gives mercury a greenish color. Fig. 2. When heated in a electric discharge tube, each element produces a unique pattern of spectral `lines’.

Why does each element have a different number of emission lines?

Emission of Light by Hydrogen Electrons can also lose energy and drop down to lower energy levels. When an electron drops down between levels, it emits photons with the same amount of energy—the same wavelength—that it would need to absorb in order to move up between those same levels.

What is the total number of spectral lines for a single atom?

Thus, total numbers of spectral lines ( s) in this case would be: Foot note 1: Total number of spectral lines for single atom where n 2 = 7 should be: 1 × 6 = ( n 2 − n 1) in the spectrum, not n 1 ( n 2 − n 1) as I originally suggested (Thanks @porphyrin for careful reading). Highly active question.

Why does mono-electronic hydrogen have many spectral lines?

Though a hydrogen atom has only one electron, it contains a large number of shells, so when this single electron jumps from one shell to another, a photon is emitted, and the energy difference of the shells causes different wavelengths to be released hence, mono-electronic hydrogen has many spectral lines.

Which element has the simplest emission line spectrum?

Of the elements for which there are known emission line spectra, hydrogen has the simplest spectrum with 4 spectral lines (some show 5 spectral lines) How do electrons become excited?

How do atoms produce line spectrum?

Spectral lines are produced by transitions of electrons within atoms or ions. As the electrons move closer to or farther from the nucleus of an atom (or of an ion), energy in the form of light (or other radiation) is emitted or absorbed.… Why does an atom give line spectrum?