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Difference Between Lyman and Balmer Series

November 7, 2019Posted byMadhu

Thekey differencebetween Lyman and Balmer series is thatLyman series forms when an excited electron reaches the n=1 energy level whereas Balmer series forms when an excited electron reaches the n=2 energy level.

Lyman series and Balmer series are named after the scientists who found them. The physicist Theodore Lyman discovered the Lyman series while Johann Balmer discovered the Balmer series. These are types of hydrogen spectral lines. These two line series arise fromemission spectra of the hydrogen atom.

CONTENTS

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What is Lyman Series
3.What is Balmer Series
4.Side by Side Comparison – Lyman vs Balmer Series in Tabular Form
5.Summary

What is Lyman Series?

Lyman series is a hydrogen spectral line series that forms when an excited electron comes to the n=1 energy level. And, this energy level is the lowestenergy levelof the hydrogen atom. The formation of this line series is due to the ultraviolet emission lines of the hydrogen atom.

Difference Between Lyman and Balmer Series

Figure 01: Lyman Series

Moreover, we can name each transition using Greek letters; the transition of an excited electron from n=2 to n=1 is Lyman alpha spectral line, from n=3 to n=1 is Lyman beta, and so on. The physicist Theodore Lyman found the Lyman series in 1906.

What is Balmer Series?

Balmer series is a hydrogen spectral line series that forms when an excited electron comes to the n=2 energy level. Further, this series shows the spectral lines for emissions of the hydrogen atom, and it has several prominent ultraviolet Balmer lines having wavelengths that are shorter than 400 nm.

Key Difference - Lyman vs Balmer Series

Figure 02: Balmer Series

Balmer series is calculated using the Balmer formula, which is an empirical equation discovered by Johann Balmer in 1885.

Compare Lyman and Balmer Series

Figure 03: Electron Transition for the Formation of the Balmer Series

When naming each line in the series, we use the letter “H” with Greek letters. For example, from n=3 to n=2 transition gives rise to the H-alpha line, from n=4 to n=2 gives rise to the H-beta line and so on. The letter “H” stands for “hydrogen”. When considering the wavelengths, the first spectral line is in the visible range of theelectromagnetic spectrum. And, this first line has a bright red colour.

What is the Difference Between Lyman and Balmer Series?

Lyman and Balmer series are hydrogen spectral line series that arise from hydrogen emission spectra. The key difference between Lyman and Balmer series is that Lyman series forms when an excited electron reaches the n=1 energy level whereas Balmer series forms when an excited electron reaches the n=2 energy level. Some lines of blamer series are in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. But, Lyman series is in the UV wavelength range.

Lyman series and Balmer series were named after the scientists who found them. The physicist Theodore Lyman found the Lyman series while Johann Balmer found the Balmer series. When naming the lines of the spectra, we use a Greek letter. For the lines in the Lyman series, the names are as Lyman alpha, Lyman beta and so on whereas for the lines in the Balmer series the names are as H-alpha, H-beta, etc.

Below infographic summarizes the difference between Lyman and Balmer series.

Difference Between Lyman and Balmer Series in Tabular Form

Summary – Lyman vs Balmer Series

Lyman and Balmer series are hydrogen spectral line series that arises from hydrogen emission spectra. The key difference between Lyman and Balmer series is that Lyman series forms when an excited electron reaches the n=1 energy level, whereas the Balmer series forms when an excited electron reaches the n=2 energy level. The physicist Theodore Lyman discovered the Lyman series while Johann Balmer discovered the Balmer series.

Reference:

1.“Balmer Series.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Oct. 2019,Available here.
2.“Lyman Series.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Oct. 2019,Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1.“LymanSeries”LymanSeries1.gif:Original uploader was Adriferr at en.wikipediaderivative work: OrangeDog (talk • contribs) – LymanSeries1.gifVectorised from the original. Precision also reduced to agree with most sources.,(CC BY-SA 3.0)viaCommons Wikimedia
2.“可见光谱的氢”Jan Homann -Own work(CC BY-SA 3.0)viaCommons Wikimedia
3. “Bohr atom model” By JabberWok(CC BY-SA 3.0)viaCommons Wikimedia

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Filed Under:General Chemistry

About the Author:Madhu

Madhu is a graduate in Biological Sciences with BSc (Honours) Degree and currently persuing a Masters Degree in Industrial and Environmental Chemistry. With a mind rooted firmly to basic principals of chemistry and passion for ever evolving field of industrial chemistry, she is keenly interested to be a true companion for those who seek knowledge in the subject of chemistry.

Comments

  1. Laurence Behneysays

    January 22, 2021 at 1:00 pm

    Hello Madhu. Thank you for this article. Can you tell me which of the series has the more frequent transitions? For example, is the n=2 to n=1 transition more common in nature than the n=3 to n=2 transition?

    Reply

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