Atomic absorption spectroscopy

What are the wavelengths of visible light between?

400-700 nm

Types of electromagnetic radiation

light, x-rays, radiowaves

What is the electromagnetic spectrum?

the spread of different types of radiation arranged according to their relative energies and wavelengths

What is spectroscopy?

analytical technique, uses light and radiation to give us information about the materials around us

Spectroscopic techniques

atoms absorb and emit electromagnetic radiation of specific energies, they undergo a change, and different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum affect different parts of the atoms.

What is ultraviolet light characteristics

short wavelength, high energy

Characteristics of radio waves

long wavelengths, low energy

What is the flame test

analytical procedure used to determine metallic elements present in a compound by inserting the sample into a non-luminous bunsen burner flame

What produces colour in a metal

the ions

Sodium

yellow

Strontium

scarlet

Copper

green

barium

yellow-green

lithium

crimson

calcium

yellow-red

potassium

lilac

What happens to electrons when placed in a flame…

absorbs energy and moves to a higher energy level, then returns to lower energy levels while emitting visible light as they return.

What is an electron referred to when it jumps energy levels?

an excited electron

What do the different colours in a flame test correspond to?

specific wavelengths of light

Improvements to flame test

use a hotter flame, pass light through a prism to produce line spectrum or emission spectrum

Characteristics of an electron falling from a higher energy level

emits more energy, light of a lower wavelength

What is a continuum

lines getting closer and closer together where the differences between each transition become less and less and changes slowly over time

Lyman series

electrons that fall back to the shell n = 1, ultraviolet

Balmer series

electrons that fall back to the shell n = 2, visible

Paschen series

electrons that fall back to the shell n = 3, infrared

The types of series

Lyman, Balmer, and Paschen

What is atomic absorption spectroscopy

detecting the presence of most metals by determining their concentration

Difference between emission spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy

AAS measures the amount of light absorbed by the sample

In AAS what is the relationship of the graph

absorption is proportional to the amount of metal present, linear trend

AAs x-axis

concentration

AAS y-axis

absorbance