Does a high emf excite electrons?

[Northprairieman]

The n = 2 energy level of lithium is 108.8 eV away from the n = 1 energy level. Does that mean, in a DC circuit, that if you put an emf of 108.8 V along a lithium wire, that the high voltage will excite an electron to the n = 2 level?

 

[Drakkith]

Nope, an electron volt is a unit of energy, not of electric potential (voltage).

 

[Philip Wood]

In solid lithium, the energy levels of the 'outer' electrons are quite different from what they are in a lithium atom. In the solid these electrons are 'pooled' and lose their allegiance to particular atoms. These pooled electrons are responsible for the bonding of the atoms, and for the conduction of electricity. Their energy levels form bands of extremely closely spaced levels.