Atomic emission spectrum Why different elements emit different colors.
Expectation 7: Element spectrum tubes Prentice Hall, Inc. Each element has a different number of electrons. These electrons have different amounts of energy associated with them. When energy is added to the element the electrons produce a line spectra: a set of different wavelengths of light are emitted. The line spectrum for each element is like a fingerprint. Every element has a different line spectrum because they have different number of electrons.