Electron energy levels Flashcards
Where are electrons located
Electrons in an atom sit in different energy levels or shells
What is different about the energy levels
Each energy level is a different distance from the nucleus
What happens to the inner electron
It can move up to a higher energy level if it absorbs EM radiation with the right amount of energy
What happens when the electron moves up
It moves to an empty or partially filled shell
Will the electron always stay in the outer shell
No, it will quickly fall back to its original energy level and it will emit the same about of energy it absorbed
Where does the energy go once the electron loses it
The energy is carried away by EM radiation
What does the EM spectrum emit from the atom
The radiation emitted from the atom is from on its energy. But this depends on the energy levels the electrons move between
What does higher energy mean
A higher frequency of EM radiation.
What can be released when electrons move energy levels
Visible light
What happens when you move further out of the nucleus
The energy levels get closer together ( so the diffeferbefvin ergo between two levels next each other gets smaller )
Hat would happen when the electron falls from the third energy level to the second
It would release less energy than an electron moving from the second energy level to the first
So what happens to the frequency of the generated radiation
It decreases as you get further from the nucleus
What does changes within the nucleus itself lead to
It leads to the production of high energy, high frequency gamma rays
What happens when an atom is ionised
It loses an electron
What happens if the other elvtron absorbs radiation with enough energy
It can move so far that it leaves the atoms
