19. Radioactivity: Electron Energy Levels

Question 1

What does it mean for electrons to be excited

Answer 1

Electrons sit in different shells in atoms

Inner electron able to move up to higher shell if absorbs enough electromagnetic radiation

When it moves up it moves up to an empty or partially filled shell (excited)

Question 2

What happens after the electron is excited

Answer 2

Electron then falls back down to original energy level (shell) and emits the same energy that was absorbed for the electron to be excited

Question 3

What happens when you move further out from the nucleus

Answer 3

Energy levels get closer together
The energy absorbed and emitted decreases the further away from the nucleus

Question 4

What happens to an atom if it loses an electron

Answer 4

The atom becomes ionised

If an outer electron absorbs enough radiation with enough energy, the electron can actually leave the atom

This means the electron is ‘free’ and the atom is ionised

If the atom loses an electron, the atom will become positively charged as there are more protons than electrons

The more electrons lost = the more positively charged