Chemistry

UNIT 1 Module 1
ATOMIC
STRUCTURE

 Explain how data from

emission spectra provides
evidence for discrete energy
levels within the atom
Describe the atomic orbitals
Describe the shapes of the s
and p orbitals
Determine the electronic
configurations of atoms and
ions in terms of s, p and d
orbitals

Specific
Objectives

 An atomic spectrum is
formed when
electromagnetic radiation is
absorbed or emitted.
EMR can be viewed as
streams of photons, which
are particles with no mass,
travelling in a wave-like
pattern moving at the speed
of light.

Atomic
Absorption
and Emission
Spectra

EMR

EMR

Plancks Equation
E = h
h Plancks constant
6.63 x 10-34 J.s
c Speed of light
3.00 x 1o8m/s

c =
Plancks
Thus:
= c/
Equation
Therefore: E = hc/

An atom interacts with light

by absorbing an amount of
energy equivalent to a
given wavelength of light . If
an atom has a spectral
line at 400 nm, what
energy has the atom
absorbed?

E = hc/
NB: 1J = 1Pam3

Sample
Calculation

Isolatedatomscanabsorbandemitpacketsof

electromagneticradiationhavingdiscreteenergiesdictated
bythedetailedatomicstructureoftheatoms.Whenthe
correspondinglightispassedthroughaprismor
spectrographitisseparatedspatiallyaccordingto
wavelength,asillustratedinthefollowingimage.

Atomic
Absorption
and Emission
Spectra

Continuum, Emission, and Absorption Spectra

Thecorrespondingspectrummayexhibitacontinuum,ormay
havesuperposedonthecontinuumbrightlines(anemission
spectrum)ordarklines(anabsorption spectrum),asillustrated
inthefollowingfigure.

Origin of Continuum, Emission, and

Absorption Spectra
Theoriginsofthesethreetypesofspectraare
illustratedinthefollowingfigure.

Hydrogen Emission and Absorption Series

Emission or absorption
processes in hydrogen
give rise toseries, which
are sequences of lines
corresponding to atomic
transitions.
For example:
theBalmer Serieswhich
involves transitions
starting with the first
excited state of
hydrogen. n=2
theLyman Serieswhich
involves transitions for
the ground state of
hydrogen. n=1

Absorption
and Emission
Series

EMR Spectrum

Hydrogen
Emission
Spectrum

The visible
hydrogen emission spectrum lines in the
Balmer series.

The visible
hydrogen emission spectrum lines in the
Balmer series. H-alpha is the red line at
the right. The two leftmost lines are
considered to be ultraviolet as they have
wavelengths less than 400 nm.

Hydrogen Emission and Absorption Series

NB 1 joule = 6.24150934 1018 lectron volts

Bohr suggested that:

An electron moving in an
orbit can only have certain
amount of energy, not an
infinite number of values: its
energy is quantized.
The energy an electron
needs in order to move in a
particular orbit depends on
the radius of the orbit. An
electron in an orbit distant
from the nucleus requires
higher energy than an
electron in an orbit near to
the nucleus.

Quantum
Theory

 If the energy of the electron

is quantised, the radius of
the orbit also must be
quantised. There is a
restriction number of orbits
with certain radii, not an
infinite number of orbits.
An electron moving in one
of these orbits does not
emit energy. If an atom
absorbs a photon (a
quantum of light energy), it
can promote an electron
from an inner orbit to an
outer orbit.

Quantum
Theory Contd

 To be graded!!!!

Class Activity

1. What quantity is
represented along the
horizontal axis in the
diagram?
2. Is this quantity increasing
or decreasing from left to
right?
3. Explain why the atomic
spectrum consist of a series
of line.

Figure 1 shows a
simplified
diagram of the
visible line
emission
spectrum of the
hydrogen atom.

4. To which energy level do

the transitions
corresponding to the visible
lines in the spectrum of
hydrogen relate?
5. Why is the line spectrum of
an element sometimes
compared to the finger
print of a criminal?

Class Activity

EMR Spectrum

1nm = 10-9 m
1Hz = 1s-1
1 J = 1Pam3
1 = 10-6 m
1 m = 10-6 m
1cm = 10-2 m

Important
Conversions

 1. Which contains more

energy?
(a) Electromagnetic radiation
of 10 or that of 8 nm?
(b) Radio waves or infrared
radiation?
(c) Electromagnetic radiation
with a frequency of 60 Hz or
that with a frequency of 30
Hz?

Class Activity

2. (a) In which region of the

electromagnetic spectrum
will each of the following
wavelengths be located?
1 cm; 100 nm; 0.8 m (1
m = 10-6 m); 10 nm; 10
m.
(b) What is the frequency of
green light with a
wavelength of 500 nm?
(c) What is the energy of
photons with a wavelength
equal to 0.05 nm?

Class Activity

(d) Arrange the following

regions of light in order of
increasing energy:
microwave, x-ray, visible,
ultraviolet, infrared.

Class Activity


What are orbitals?
Orbitals are the region or
volume in space in which
the probability of finding
electrons is highest.

Atomic
Orbitals

1s Orbital

2s Orbital

2p Orbitals

3d Orbitals

Order of filling
orbitals

The rules af placing electrons

within shells is known as the
Aufbau principle. These
rules are:
Electrons are placed in the
lowest energetically
available subshell.
An orbital can hold at most
2 electrons.
If two or more energetically
equivalent orbitals are
available (e.g., p, d etc.)
then electrons should be
spread out before they are
paired up (Hund's rule).

Aufbau
Principle

 When filling sublevels other

than s, electrons are placed
in individual orbitals before
they are paired up.

Hunds Rule

 An orbital can hold 0, 1, or 2

electrons only, and if there
are two electrons in the
orbital, they must have
opposite (paired) spins.

Paulis
Exclusion
Principle

 http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/
astr162/lect/light/absorption
.html
http://www.chemguide.co.uk
/atoms/properties/atomorbs.
html#top

References