Evidence of Energy

Levels
Electron configuration

In 1808, Dalton proposed the atomic theory.

At the end of the 19th century, J.J. Thompson,
proposed the plum pudding model after
having discovered electrons.
Rutherford used the gold foil experiment to
discover that electrons lay outside the
nucleus and the atom is mostly empty space.

Niels Bohr proposed that electrons occupy

different energy levels.
When a sample of hydrogen(H2) receives
a high energy spark, some of the H-H
bonds are broken
The resulting H atoms are excited they
release the excess energy (quantum or
photons) by emitting various
wavelengths of light emission spectrum

When viewed through a spectrometer, the emission

spectrum of hydrogen is seen to be a series of lines.

In each series, the lines get closer and closer together

towards the high frequency end of the spectrum until the
lines run together or converge to form a spectrum of
light.

When white light is passed through a prism it forms

a continuous spectrum which contains all the
colors of the visible spectrum.

The H emission spectrum contains only a few lines,

each of which corresponds to a discrete wavelength.
This is called a line spectrum.

The distinct lines show that only certain energies are

possible. If all energies were possible, the spectrum
would be continuous. This lead Bohr to propose that
electrons can only move in certain allowed orbits.
These orbits converge at higher energies.

Bohr thought that electrons move to a higher energy level

(ground state to excited state) when they absorb energy
and light of a specific frequency is absorbed. This
produces an absorption spectrum.
When electrons lose energy (excited state to ground
state) they emit energy, producing emission spectrum.

For hydrogen
Visible light is given off when the electron
falls to the 2nd energy level (n=2)
Ultraviolet light is given off when the
electron falls to the 1st energy level (n=1)
Infrared light is given off when the electron
falls to the 3rd or higher energy levels