How are atomic spectra used to confirm the presence of specific elements in a substance?

Question

What is atomic spectra?? it would be awesome if you incorporated energy levels, ground state, excited state, and EM waves in your answer. thank youuuuuuu

Answer 1

Many chemical analysis methods are based on spectra. Each electon in each atom (element) has unique energy levels. So, when an electron moves from ground state to excited state, it absorbs a specific amount of energy. When it returns from the excited to ground state, it gives off exactly that amount of energy. Optical emission spectroscopy looks at the EM waves coming out of the atom when electrons go from excited to ground. Atomic absorbtion spectroscopy looks at the EM waves that are absorbed as electrons go from ground to excited.

It is not quite true that each element's energy levels are unique because there are some overlaps, these are technically called interferences. In the case of interferences, you do not know which element they came from.

Usually this is not an impossible problem because you can look at different electrons (with different energy steps) in those elements.

I hope this helps