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
As the atom leaves the outer shell, what does this mean
It is now a free electron and the atom is now been ionised
Now the atom has been ionised what type of ion is it
A positive ion
Why is the atom a positively charge ion
Because it has more protons than electrons
What can an atom lose
More than one electron. The more electron it loses, the greater it’s positive charge
What else can ionise atoms
Nuclear radiation
What can ionising radiation do
It is any radiation that can knock electrons from atoms
Do we know when radiation will ionise?
It will ionise an atom will vary
