2.2 Electron configuration

Question 1

What is a photon?

Answer 1

A packet of energy that behaves like a particle and a wave

Question 2

Which end of the visible light spectrum has the most energy?

Answer 2

The violet end

Question 3

Frequency to wavelength conversion

Answer 3

c = vλ

c - speed of light
v - frequency
λ - wavelength

Question 4

What is the speed of light

Answer 4

c = 3.0 * 10^8 metres per second

Question 5

Relationship between wavelength and frequency

Answer 5

The longer the wavelegth, the lower the frequency
The shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency

Question 6

Energy equation

Answer 6

E = hv

Energy = Planck’s constant (h) * frequency (v)

Question 7

Planck’s constant (h)

Answer 7

6.63 * 10^-34

Question 8

What happens when light passes through or reflects off a medium?

Answer 8

Photons of specific energy are absorbed by each electron to promote it to a higher energy level

Question 9

What determines the specific photons of specific energy absorbed by the electrons?

Answer 9

The medium’s chemical composition

Question 10

What happens when an electron returns to its ground state energy level?

Answer 10

It releases a photon of specific energy

Question 11

What happens during the absorption of photons by an electron?

Answer 11

The electron rises to a higher energy level and stays there

Question 12

How are the dark lines on the absorption spectrum created?

Answer 12

The specific energies absorbed correspond to specific frequencies and wavelengths of being absorbed

Question 13

What determines the amount of energy absorbed and emitted by an electron

Answer 13

The distance it moves between energy levels

Question 14

Which transitions result in high frequency light being emitted or absorbed?

Answer 14

Transitions between energy levels that are further apart

Question 15

What is unique to each element?

Answer 15

It’s absorption and emission spectra

Question 16

Why do the absorption and emission spectra have lines at the same points?

Answer 16

The energy absorbed promoting an electron between specific energy levels is the same released when it returns to ground state

Question 16

What do the different lines on a spectrum correspond to?

Answer 16

Different transitions of electrons

Question 17

What are line spectra used to prove?

Answer 17

The existence of electron energy levels

Question 18

How come only certain transitions can occur?

Answer 18

Electrons are in specific energy levels

Question 19

How is the line spectrum produced by the transitions?

Answer 19

Each transition emits or absorbs light of a particular frequency, producing a line spectrum

Question 20

What would a continuous spectrum suggest?

Answer 20

That electrons can exist anywhere around the nucleus

Question 21

Colour of the light hydrogen burns with?

Answer 21

Pale blue

Question 22

What are the 3 series of wavelengths in the hydrogen emission spectrum?

Answer 22

Paschen, Balmer and Lyman

Question 23

Why can we only see the Balmer series?

Answer 23

It is part of the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Lyman is part of ultraviolet and Paschen is part of infrared

Question 24

Series in the hydrogen spectrum from highest to lowest energy

Answer 24

Lyman , Balmer , Paschen

Question 25

What determines each series in the hydrogen spectrum?

Answer 25

Its ground state energy level

Question 26

Electron transitions in the Lyman series?

Answer 26

Electrons move up from and back down to energy level one

Question 27

Electron transitions in Balmer series?

Answer 27

Electrons move up from and back down to energy level two

Question 28

Electron transitions in the Paschen series?

Answer 28

Electrons move up from and back down to energy level 3

Question 29

Why do the lines in the emission spectrum converge at higher frequencies?

Answer 29

Higher energy levels get closer because the energy difference between levels decreases as the level numbers increase

Question 30

When does each series come to an end?

Answer 30

With the line for the transition from n = ∞

Question 31

Where else is convergence seen in the emission spectrum?

Answer 31

At low energy transitions,

e.g n=6 to n=3 and n=7 to n=3 will be close