Answer :
Final answer:
Using a gas other than hydrogen for calibration would result in a different emission spectrum, reflecting the more complex electron configurations of other gases. Gases with more electrons generate more intricate line spectra, which can complicate the calibration process due to the increased number of spectral lines to be analyzed.
Explanation:
If we used hydrogen or any other gas for calibration, the observed spectrum would depend on the energy levels of the electrons within the gas atoms. Hydrogen has a simple electron structure, which results in a relatively simple emission spectrum, presenting a series of discrete bright lines. These lines correspond to the specific wavelengths at which hydrogen atoms emit light when they transition from higher to lower energy states. If other gases were used,
they would have more complex electron configurations due to having more electrons than hydrogen. As a consequence, these gases would give rise to a more complicated emission spectrum with more lines. Helium, with two electrons, would have a different spectrum compared to hydrogen's, and elements like neon, with even more electrons, would have an even more intricate spectrum.
For instance, in the case of helium, the resulting emission spectrum would differ from hydrogen, with different positions and perhaps a greater number of spectral lines due to helium's additional electron and different energy level transitions. Neon would create an even more complex pattern in the emission spectrum because of its 10 electrons and the various possible transitions between its energy levels. Higher complexity in atomic structure means more potential energy levels for electrons, leading to more distinct wavelengths in the spectroscope.
Overall, each element displays its unique pattern of bright lines in its emission spectrum, known as its line spectrum. These unique patterns can be used to identify the presence of specific elements in a sample. The relationship between the complexity of the spectrum and the number of electrons reaffirms that different gases can indeed produce a diverse set of spectral lines, making the calibration process potentially more complicated if a gas other than hydrogen is used.
