In a discharge tube, there are only two hydrogen atoms. If the electrons in both atoms are de-exciti — Atomic Structure Chemistry Question
Question
In a discharge tube, there are only two hydrogen atoms. If the electrons in both atoms are de-exciting from $4^{th}$ orbit, the minimum and maximum number of spectral lines should, respectively, be
Answer: A
💡 Solution & Explanation
The minimum number of lines occurs when both atoms directly transition from $n=4$ to $n=1$, yielding 1 unique line. The maximum number occurs if one transitions $4 \to 3 \to 2 \to 1$ (3 lines) and the other transitions $4 \to 2$ directly (1 new line), totaling 4 unique lines. Therefore, correct answer is A.
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