Atomic Theory

(3)
By Rena Zaen
Why is aurora happened?
 The electromagnetic spectrum

When the charged particles from the sun strike atoms

and molecules in Earth’s atmosphere, they excite those
atoms, causing them to light up.

What does it mean for an atom to be excited? Atoms

consist of a central nucleus and a surrounding cloud
of electrons encircling the nucleus in an orbit. When
charged particles from the sun strike atoms in Earth’s
atmosphere, electrons move to higher-energy orbits,
further away from the nucleus. Then when an electron
moves back to a lower-energy orbit, it releases a
particle of light or photon
What happen in photochromic lenses?

Can we just give any light?

What happen in photochromic lenses?

In the colourless state, these molecules consist of two smaller,

extended conjugated system chromophores, held out of plane of one
another. Upon UV activation, an electronic
rearrangement occurs, resulting in the molecule forming one large,
extended conjugated system chromophore that absorbs in both the UV
and the visible portion of the spectrum
Each chemical element produces its own unique set of spectral lines
when it is excited
Line Spectra

He


Figure barcode. Think of a line
emission spectrum as being an
alogous to a barcode. Every product
in a shop has its own unique
barcode which gives it an identity, Figure Atomic spectra in the visible region for some elements.
and the same is true of the line Figure 5-14a shows how such spectra are produced. (a) Emission
emission spectra of the elements. spectra for some elements. (b) Absorption spectrum for
Each line emission spectrum is hydrogen. Compare the positions of these lines with those in the
different and is characteristic of a emission spectrum for H in (a). (Source : Whitten et al., 2004)
specific element. (Source :
m.merdeka.com)
An atom consists of
a small, dense
nucleus (containing
protons and
neutrons)
surrounded by
electrons
- Model Proposed
by Niels Bohr 1913
Photons (light-waves) are emitted from an atom when an electron
moves from a higher energy level to a lower energy level

Nucleus
Photons (light-waves) can also be absorbed by an atom when an
electron moves from a lower energy level to a higher energy level

Nucleus
Simplest Atomic Spectrum: Hydrogen

• In ~1850’s, optical spectrum of hydrogen was found to contain strong lines at 6563, 4861 and 4340 Å.

• Lines found to fall closer and closer as wavelength decreases.

• Line separation converges at a particular wavelength, called the series limit.

• Balmer found that the wavelength of lines could be written

where n is an integer >2, and RH is the Rydberg constant (1.097 107 m-1)
Bohr’s Theory
 The hydrogen atom consists of proton at its
center, around which the electron moves in a
circular path or orbit.
 Bohr suggested that each orbit has a definite
energy associated with it:
 When an electron in its ground-state is excited,
it moves to a higher energy level and stays in
this excited-state for a fraction of a second.
 When the electron falls back down from the
excited-state to a lower energy level it emits a
photon, a discrete amount of energy. This Figure Principles of the Bohr model of an
photon corresponds to a particular atom when an electron is excited. n is the
wavelength, depending on the energy
principal quantum number
difference between the two energy levels
(Bylikin et al., 2014)
The electromagnetic spectrum

Figure Visible light is only a very small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Some radiant energy has longer or shorter wavelengths than our eyes can detect.
The upper part shows the approximate ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum on a
logarithmic scale. The lower part shows the visible region on an expanded scale.
Note that wavelength increases as frequency decreases. (Source : Whitten et al.,
2004)
 Simplest Atomic Spectrum: Hydrogen
• Other series of hydrogen:
Lyman UV nf = 1, ni2
Balmer Visible/UV nf = 2, ni3

Paschen IR nf = 3, ni4
Brackett IR nf = 4, ni5
Pfund IR nf = 5, ni6
• Rydberg showed that all series above could be
reproduced using

Series Limits

• Series limit occurs when ni = ∞, nf = 1, 2, …

 Simplest Atomic Spectrum: Hydrogen
• Term or Grotrian diagram for hydrogen.

• Spectral lines can be considered as transition between

terms.

• A consequence of atomic energy levels, is that transitions

can only occur between certain terms. Called a selection
rule. Selection rule for hydrogen: n = 1, 2, 3, …
Let’s practice

Draw an energy level diagram showing the first four energy levels in a hydrogen atom and mark
with an arrow on this diagram one electron transition that would give rise to:
a line in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum
a line in the visible region of the spectrum
a line in the infrared region of the spectrum.
Let’s practice
Let’s practice

An electron is moving from the 3th orbital to 1st orbital. Calculate the
energy of photon emitted. (h = 6.63 × 10−34 J s ; RH = 1.09 × 107 m-1 ; c =
3.00 × 108 m/s)
Let’s practice

An electron is moving from the 3th orbital to 2nd orbital. Calculate the
energy of photon emitted. (h = 6.63 × 10−34 J s ; RH = 1.09 × 107 m-1 ; c =
3.00 × 108 m/s)
 Arrange the electron configuration in an oxygen atom
1.

1 2
Two of the eight
3
electrons enter The electron
Oxygen atom
has a proton the first energy configuration for
number of 8 level. Leaving six oxygen can be
and therefore
has eight to occupy the written in a
electrons second energy shorthand way as Figure Arrangement of electrons in an
level. 2,6 oxygen atom
Arrange the electron configuration of Neon and Argon!
Arrange the electron configuration of lithium, sodium and
potassium!
Electron Configuration

Figure Electron arrangements of hydrogen, lithium, sodium, argon

and potassium. (Earl and wilford, 2014)
Electron Configuration

1. How many electrons may be accommodated in the first

three energy levels?
2 What is the same about the electron structures of:
A Neon and argon?
b lithium, sodium and potassium?
Bohr’s Theory

 All the elements in a group have the same

number of electrons in their outer shells. So
Group I elements have 1, Group II have 2, and
so on. (Except group viii/ noble gas)
 These outer-shell electrons are also called the
valency electrons.
 The valency electrons dictate how an element
reacts.
Bohr’s Theory
Bohr made a significant contribution to our understanding
of electronic structure and in particular, some of the
merits of his theory are the following:
 It was based on the fundamental idea of quantization -
the fact that electrons exist in definite, discrete energy
levels.
 It incorporated the idea of electrons moving from one
energy level to another.
Bohr’s Theory
This model has now been superseded and is associated with a
number
of misconceptions:
 It assumes that the positions of the electron orbits are fixed. This
is incorrect; in fact, orbits do not actually exist (we shall shortly
introduce the idea of an orbital).
 It assumes that energy levels are circular or spherical in nature.
This is also incorrect.
 It suggests an incorrect scale for the atom - remember from sub-
topic 2.1 that the atom is made up of mainly empty space.
Configuration electron (Bohr)

Figure Configuration electron (Bohr) (Source :

Gallagher et al., 2011).