If a continuous spectrum of ultraviolet radiation passes through a tube of cool hydrogen gas, what happens to its spectrum? A) All the radiation passes unhindered except the Lyman L _$\alpha$ wavelength, which is absorbed by the atoms. B) Some of the radiation at all wavelengths is absorbed, reducing the intensity at all wavelengths uniformly. C) All the radiation passes through the tube unhindered because the hydrogen gas is cool and cannot absorb energy. D) All the radiation passes through the tube unhindered except at the specific wavelengths of the Lyman series, L _$\alpha$ , L _$\beta$ _,and so on, which are absorbed by the atoms.

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hydrogen atoms absorb ultraviolet radiation at specific wavelengths corresponding to the energy differences between the ground state and higher energy levels. These specific wavelengths are known as the Lyman series. When ultraviolet radiation passes through cool hydrogen gas, only the photons with energies matching the transitions of the Lyman series are absorbed, leading to dark lines in the spectrum at those wavelengths.

If a Continuous Spectrum of Ultraviolet Radiation Passes Through a Tube