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The figure shows three horizontal lines at small distances from each other. Between the two lower lines, the Lyman series, with four vertical red bands in compact form, is shown. The value of the constant n sub f is 1 and the wavelengths are ninety-one nanometers to one hundred nanometers. The Balmer series is shown to the right side of this series. The value of the constant n sub f is two, and the range of wavelengths is from three hundred sixty five to six hundred fifty six nanometers. At the right side of this, the Paschen series bands are shown. The value of the constant n sub f is three, and the range of the wavelengths is from eight hundred twenty nanometers to one thousand eight hundred and seventy five nanometers.
A schematic of the hydrogen spectrum shows several series named for those who contributed most to their determination. Part of the Balmer series is in the visible spectrum, while the Lyman series is entirely in the UV, and the Paschen series and others are in the IR. Values of n f size 12{n rSub { size 8{f} } } {} and n i size 12{n rSub { size 8{f} } } {} are shown for some of the lines.

Bohr’s solution for hydrogen

Bohr was able to derive the formula for the hydrogen spectrum using basic physics, the planetary model of the atom, and some very important new proposals. His first proposal is that only certain orbits are allowed: we say that the orbits of electrons in atoms are quantized . Each orbit has a different energy, and electrons can move to a higher orbit by absorbing energy and drop to a lower orbit by emitting energy. If the orbits are quantized, the amount of energy absorbed or emitted is also quantized, producing discrete spectra. Photon absorption and emission are among the primary methods of transferring energy into and out of atoms. The energies of the photons are quantized, and their energy is explained as being equal to the change in energy of the electron when it moves from one orbit to another. In equation form, this is

Δ E = hf = E i E f . size 12{ΔE= ital "hf"=E rSub { size 8{i} } - E rSub { size 8{f} } } {}

Here, Δ E size 12{ΔE} {} is the change in energy between the initial and final orbits, and hf size 12{ ital "hf"} {} is the energy of the absorbed or emitted photon. It is quite logical (that is, expected from our everyday experience) that energy is involved in changing orbits. A blast of energy is required for the space shuttle, for example, to climb to a higher orbit. What is not expected is that atomic orbits should be quantized. This is not observed for satellites or planets, which can have any orbit given the proper energy. (See [link] .)

The orbits of Bohr’s planetary model of an atom; five concentric circles are shown. The radii of the circles increase from innermost to outermost circles. On the circles, labels E sub one, E sub two, up to E sub i are marked.
The planetary model of the atom, as modified by Bohr, has the orbits of the electrons quantized. Only certain orbits are allowed, explaining why atomic spectra are discrete (quantized). The energy carried away from an atom by a photon comes from the electron dropping from one allowed orbit to another and is thus quantized. This is likewise true for atomic absorption of photons.

[link] shows an energy-level diagram    , a convenient way to display energy states. In the present discussion, we take these to be the allowed energy levels of the electron. Energy is plotted vertically with the lowest or ground state at the bottom and with excited states above. Given the energies of the lines in an atomic spectrum, it is possible (although sometimes very difficult) to determine the energy levels of an atom. Energy-level diagrams are used for many systems, including molecules and nuclei. A theory of the atom or any other system must predict its energies based on the physics of the system.

The energy level diagram is shown. A number of horizontal lines are shown. The lines are labeled from bottom to top as n is equal to one, n is equal to two and so on up to n equals infinity; the energy levels increase from bottom to top. The distance between the lines decreases from the bottom line to the top line. A vertical arrow shows an electron transitioning from n equals four to n equals two.
An energy-level diagram plots energy vertically and is useful in visualizing the energy states of a system and the transitions between them. This diagram is for the hydrogen-atom electrons, showing a transition between two orbits having energies E 4 size 12{E rSub { size 8{4} } } {} and E 2 size 12{E rSub { size 8{2} } } {} .

Bohr was clever enough to find a way to calculate the electron orbital energies in hydrogen. This was an important first step that has been improved upon, but it does correctly describe many characteristics of hydrogen. Bohr proposed that only very specific circular orbits were allowed. The radius of these orbits is calculated to be
r n = n 2 Z a B
where
n = 1 , 2 , 3 , ,
Z is the atomic number of the element, and
a B = 0.529 × 10 10 m ,
is known as the Bohr radius. The value of n largely determines the energy level of the atom and is called the principal quantum number . This equation can be used to calculate the radii of the allowed (quantized) electron orbits in any hydrogen-like atom . It is impressive that the formula gives the correct size of hydrogen, which is measured experimentally to be very close to the Bohr radius. This equation also tells us that the orbital radius is proportional to n 2 size 12{n rSup { size 8{2} } } {} , as illustrated in [link] .

Practice Key Terms 4

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Source:  OpenStax, Concepts of physics with linear momentum. OpenStax CNX. Aug 11, 2016 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11960/1.9
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