Ionization is when an electron is removed from an atom and ionization energy is the energy required to do this. "Electrons stream from the negative electrode to the positive electrode. In the process of moving from one electrode to the other they knock electrons in the enclosed gas to higher energy levels. In many cases the electron is completely removed from the gas atom." I'm completely unsure of this but does the color of the neon sign depend on how high the ionization energy level needs to be to remove the electron from the gas atom?
The color depends upon the energy emitted when the electron returns to the atom (the reverse of ionization). In a sense, then, what you say is true but it's an odd way of saying it. In addition, the quotes you have seem out of place in your short discussion. The words don't flow very well. There is a complete disjoint between your definition of ionization and the quotes.
Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't really trying to put them together. I just wanted you to see what I understood about ionization. And then ask my question. Do you think you could help me understand lasers and plasma arcs connection to ionization levels? or point me to a website that could help?
(Broken Link Removed)
htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser
The first link seems to be broken.
http://www.cpeo.org/techtree/ttdescript/plarctech.htm
It seems to be working now.
The color of a neon sign does not depend on the ionization energy level needed to remove the electron from the gas atom. Instead, it is determined by the specific gas and any additional materials present in the sign.
Neon signs are made by filling glass tubes with various noble gases, such as neon, argon, or xenon. When an electric current is passed through the gas, the atoms or molecules in the gas become excited and move to higher energy levels. When these excited atoms or molecules return to their original energy levels, they release energy in the form of light. This emitted light appears as a characteristic color.
Each noble gas emits its own specific colors of light. For example, neon emits a reddish-orange color, argon emits a bluish-purple color, and xenon emits a bluish-white color. The color of the light emitted by the gas is determined by the specific energy difference between the excited state and the ground state of the atoms or molecules in the gas.
The ionization energy is the energy required to completely remove an electron from an atom or molecule. It is unrelated to the color emitted by the gas in a neon sign. The ionization energy depends on the specific electronic configuration of the atoms or molecules involved, not the color of light they emit.
Therefore, while the ionization energy is an important concept related to the behavior of electrons in atoms, it is not directly related to the color of a neon sign. The color of a neon sign is determined by the specific gas used and the energy differences between the excited and ground states of that gas.