Spectrum of the Hydrogen Atom Overview Getting Started Techniques Procedure FAQ Full Lab Manual Introduction & Goals Chemistry & Background Key Questions Prelab Problems Safety Procedure In Your Write-up Experiments Index ChemLab Home		Atomic Spectra The Balmer Series of Hydrogen consists of four visible lines. The transitions between electron energy levels can be explored using the Atomic Spectra Applet described on the Getting Started page. The sodium spectrum consists of one very bright yellow line. The other colors in the photo are due to scattered light from another source. The helium spectrum is somewhat more complex than that of hydrogen. Why should that be? The neon spectrum is dominated by red lines. That's why neon signs are red. The mercury spectrum is shown here.
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