2.1 Spectra, Quanta, Ionisation Flashcards
Atomic Spectra is caused by?
Electrons moving between different energy levels.
What about the electrons in atomic spectra?
They are fixed for any one atom
What does Quantum theory state?
Matter can only emit or absorb energy in small fixed amounts
What happens to an electron in an atom?
When it absorbs a photon of energy, it moves from a lower energy level to a higher energy level
What does the frequency of the line in the emission spectrum represent?
The difference in energy between the energy levels
What do we call those energy levels?
shells or sub-shells
What does the letter n define?
the principal quantum number
What is n=1?
the lowest energy
What would occupy level n=1?
a hydrogen atom in the ground state under normal conditions
What does an electron escaping n=1 to infinity correspond to?
- the electron breaking away from the atom completely
- represents the ionisation energy of that element
How can ionisation energy be represented generally?
X(g) —> X+ (g) + e-
