The Hydrogen Atom

• The electrostatic attraction between the positively charged nucleus and the surrounding
electron keeps it stable in an orbit.
• According to classical physics, the revolving electron emit electromagnetic radiation.
• The electron should lose its energy continuously and must fall into the nucleus.
• This is also completely wrong.

Niels Bohr provided an explanation to this

Niels Bohr Model of H atom
✓ Electrons can revolve in certain allowed orbits, each of which has certain allowed energy
as well as radius.
✓ Bohr invented a rule to calculate the size and energy of each Electron orbit.
✓ 2π x (electron mass) x (electron orbital speed) x orbit radius = (any integer) x h,

• When an electron falls from a higher orbit

to a lower orbit it loses energy-photon
carries away the lost energy
• photon energy = electron energy in larger
orbit- electron energy in smaller orbit.

• the atom can absorb the photon and jump

to higher energy levels (if the photons
energy is exactly equal to the difference
between two orbital energies). This is called
a quantum jump.
Max Plank, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr and Louis de Brogile

PLANCK'S QUANTUM HYPOTHESIS

✓ Energy is emitted and absorbed not continuously, but discontinuously in small packets
called quanta of radiation. (Photon in the case of light) Energy of a particular quanta of
radiation is proportional to frequency.
✓ E ꚙ ν , or E = hv, where h is a constant known as Planck's constant; h = 6.62 x 10-34 Js.

• In stairs the ball can have only discrete values of energy. (The ball can stop only at certain
points on a flight of stairs)
• In ramp ball can have continuous values of energy.
• Each stair increases the energy by the value of planks constant
PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT

• Metals that show photoelectric effect are Cs and K.

• Electrons are emitted from matter by the

absorption of energy from electromagnetic
radiation.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT

✓ For a given metal, there exists a certain minimum frequency of incident radiation below
which no photoelectrons can be emitted. This frequency is called the threshold frequency.
Ejection of electrons is a spontaneous process.
✓ The rate at which photoelectrons are ejected is directly proportional to the intensity of the
incident light.
✓ Kinetic energy of the emitted photoelectron depends on the frequency of the incident light.
1/2mv2 ꚙ v. but is independent of the intensity of the incident light.
✓ The time lag between the incidence of radiation and the emission of photoelectron is very
small, less than 10-9 second.
✓ Energy of photoelectrons was dependent only on the frequency of the incident light and
not on its intensity.
✓ A low intensity, high-frequency source could supply a high energy photons, whereas a
high-intensity, low-frequency source would supply no photons of sufficient individual
energy to dislodge any electrons.
✓ Energy of photoelectron increases with increasing frequency of incident light and is
independent of the intensity of the light.

• If the frequency is v, then the energy of incident radiation is E = hv

• Let vo be the threshold frequency and then corresponding energy is hvo. This is also
known as work function of electron.
• The remaining energy is used for the movement of electrons, as its kinetic energy. When
v > vo - photoelectric effect.
• When v < vo, no photoelectric effect.
BOHR MODEL OF HYDROGEN ATOM

It is possible to predict the energy levels of one-electron atoms and ions, such as H, He+, Li2+,
Be3+, B4+, C5+ (H like atoms)

Postulates of Bohr's theory

• Electrons revolve in fixed circular path which are called orbits - stationary states.
• Each orbit is characterized by a quantum number n, or represented as K, L, M, N etc.
• Higher the value of n, the greater is the energy of the electron in that orbit. The energy
increases with increase in the distance from the nucleus.
• As long as an electron remains in a particular orbit, it will not lose or gain energy. Only those
orbits are allowed where the angular momentum of a revolving electron is h/2π ie., mvr =
nh/2π, where n= 1, 2, 3, 4 etc., and is known as the principal quantum number (quantisation
of angular momentum).
• When an electron moves from a lower energy level to a higher energy level, it will absorb
energy.
• Electron moves to the ground level by liberating energy.
✓ Bohr proposed an equation to calculate the radius of an orbit of hydrogen atom

Where n is number of the orbit, Z- atomic number, m is the mass of electron, e is the charge of
electron, and ϵo is the permittivity of the medium.
✓ Equation to calculate the energy of electrons in nth orbit of hydrogen atom, as,
CALCULATION OF RADIUS OF ORBIT IN HYDROGEN ATOM (H like species)

Consider a hydrogen like species with atomic number Z and charge on the nucleus Ze. electron of
charge 'e' and mass 'm' revolve around the nucleus. r radius of orbit. v be velocity of the
revolving electron.

• The electrostatic force of attraction between

nucleus and electron ((the centripetal force)

• Repulsive force , (the centrifugal force) which

keep the revolving electron in the orbit,

When the electron is revolving around the nucleus, the electrostatic force = centrifugal force.

From, Bohr's postulates,

LHS are equal. Therefore, on equating RHS

Radius of nth Orbit of Hydrogen Atom

BOHR'S EQUATION FOR THE ENERGY OF ELECTRON IN HYDROGEN ATOM

Total energy of an electron E = P.E. + K.E.

The general expression for energy of electron in nth orbit is

Calculation of Energy in Joules/Mol

The Hydrogen spectrum

• When heated/electric discharge is passed through hydrogen gas we see a glow,

which can be analyzed using a spectrometer, a group of lines with different
wavelengths are observed in the UV, Visible and IR region

• Lyman series (found in the UV region), Balmer series (in Visible region), Paschen series
(near IR). Brackett series (IR region), and Pfund series (in far IR region).
ν = c/λ

E = hν
 Energy possessed by an electron in nth orbit of hydrogen atom

When an electron jumps from a higher energy orbit E, to a lower energy orbit E, the
difference in energy, ΔE is emitted as a spectral line, which is = E2-E1

This is the energy difference when an electron jumps from one orbit to another; this
energy difference is either absorbed or emitted as a photon of light having a frequency v so
that ΔE = hv

Bohr's frequency equation

RH known as Rydberg's constant

Its value is
 Lyman Series - n1= 1; n2 = the 2, 3, 4..
Balmer Series –n1 = 2; n2 = 3, 4.
Paschen Series – n1 = 3; n2 =4, 5, .
Brackett Series n1 = 4; n2 = 5, 6.
Pfund Series - n1 =5; n2 = 6, 7

EXISTENCE OF LARGE NUMBER OF SPECTRAL LINES IN HYDROGEN

Large numbers of jumps are possible, giving large number of spectral lines
SPECIAL FEATURES OF ATOMIC SPECTRUM OF HYDROGEN

• Four sharp coloured lines were observed in the visible region

• The pattern of lines in the atomic spectrum is characteristic of hydrogen atom. This
pattern is different from any other element. Therefore, atomic spectrum is defined as
fingerprint of the atom.