ATOM

Q1. Draw a schematic arrangement of Geiger-Marsden experiment for studying

a-particle scattering by a thin foil of gold. Describe briefly, by drawing trajectories of
the scattered a-particles. How this study can be used to estimate the size of the
nucleus?
Ans. At the suggestion of Ernst Rutherford, in 1911, H. Geiger and E.Marsden performed
some experiments. In one of their experiments, as shown

A. Directed a beam of 5.5 MeV a-particles emitted from a 83Bi214 radioactive source at a
thin metal foil made of gold.
B. Alpha-particles emitted by 83Bi214 were collimated into a narrow beam by their passage
through lead bricks.
C. The beam was allowed to fall on a thin foil of gold of thickness 2.1 × 10–7 m.
D. The scattered alpha-particles were observed through a rotatable detector consisting of
zinc sulphide screen and a microscope. The scattered alpha-particles on striking the
screen produced brief light flashes.
E. These flashes may be viewed through a microscope and the distribution of the number of
scattered particles may be studied as a function of angle of scattering.
F. A typical graph of the total number of a-particles scattered at different angle.
 Observations and Conclusions
A. Most of a-particles pass through the gold foil undeflected. This implies that “most part of
the atom is hollow.”
B. Alpha-particles are scattered through all angles. Some a-particles (nearly 1 in 2000),
suffer scattering through angles more than 90°.
C. while a still smaller number (nearly 1 in 10000) retrace their path. This implies that when
fast moving positively charged Alpha-particles come near the gold-atom, then a few of
them experience such a strong repulsive force that they turn back. On this basis
Rutherford concluded that the whole positive charge of an atom is concentrated in a small
central core, called the nucleus.

Q2. Write two important limitations of the Rutherford nuclear model of the atom.
Ans. . Two important limitations of Rutherford Model are:
A. According to the Rutherford model, electrons orbiting around the nucleus continuously
radiates energy due to the acceleration; hence the atom will not remain stable.
B. As an electron spirals inwards; its angular velocity and frequency change continuously,
therefore it should emit a continuous spectrum. But an atom like hydrogen always emits a
discrete line spectrum.

Q3.State Bohr’s model of hydrogen atom.

Ans.It was Niels Bohr (1885 – 1962) who made certain modifications in this model by
adding the ideas of the newly developing quantum hypothesis. Bohr combined classical
and early quantum concepts and gave his theory in the form of three postulates.
These are :
Law of orbit:- An electron in an atom could revolve in certain stable orbits without the
emission of radiant energy, contrary to the predictions of electromagnetic theory.
According to this postulate, each atom has certain definite stable states in which it can
exist, and each possible state has definite total energy. These are called the stationary
states of the atom.
Law of angular momentum:- Electron revolve around the nucleus only in those orbits for
which the angular momentum is some integral multiple of h/2π where h is the Planck’s
constant (= 6.6 x 10–34 J s). Thus the angular momentum (L) of the orbiting electron is
quantised. That is L = nh/2π.
Law of frequency:- An electron might make a transition from one of its specified
non-radiating orbits to another of lower energy. When it does so, a photon is emitted
having energy equal to the energy difference between the initial and final states. The
frequency of the emitted photon is then given by h𝜈 = Ei – Ef.

Q3. Write limitations of the Bohr model.

Ans. While the Bohr model successfully explained the hydrogen atom’s spectral lines, it
had limitations:

– It only worked for hydrogen-like species (atoms with one electron).

1. It couldn’t explain the fine and hyperfine structure of spectral lines.

2. It didn’t account for electron spin and its associated magnetic moments.
3. The Bohr model was eventually superseded by more advanced quantum mechanical
models, such as the Schrödinger equation and quantum electrodynamics, which provided
a more comprehensive understanding of atomic behavior.
 Q4.Write expression for radius of orbit, speed of revolving electron, kinetic energy,
potential energy and total energy of electron.

Ans. A. Bohr’s radius rn = n2 ( 0.53A0)

𝑐
B. Speed of revolving electron v =
𝑛(137)

+13.6 𝑒𝑉
C. Kinetic energy of electron= 2
𝑛

−27.2 𝑒𝑉
D. Potential energy of electron= 2
𝑛

−13.6 𝑒𝑉
E. Total energy of electron= 2
𝑛

Q5. draw the energy level diagram of hydrogen showing how the line spectra
corresponding to Lyman to Pfund series occur due to transition between energy
levels.
Ans.
(i) Lyman series: This series is produced when electron jumps from higher orbits to
the first stationary orbit (i.e., nf =1). Thus for this series
1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
1 𝑛𝑖

𝑛𝑖 = 2,3,4,5……………………………..
Shortest wave length
1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
1 ∞
1
𝛌= 𝑅
≍ 911Å
Longest wave length
1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
1 2
4
𝛌= 3𝑅
≍ 1212Å
the lines of Lyman series are found in ultraviolet region

(ii) Balmer series: The series is produced when an electron jumps from higher orbits
to the second stationary orbit (nf = 2). Thus for this series,

1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
2 𝑛𝑖

𝑛𝑖 = 3,4,5,6……………………………..
Shortest wave length
 1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
2 ∞
4
𝛌= 𝑅
≍ 3644Å
Longest wave length
1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
2 3
4
𝛌= 3𝑅
≍ 6560Å
the lines of the Balmer series are found in the visible region and first, second, third … lines
are called Hα, Hβ, Hγ..., lines respectively

(iii) Paschen series: This series is produced when an electron jumps from higher orbits to
the third stationary orbit (nf =3).

1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
3 𝑛𝑖

𝑛𝑖 = 4,5,6,7……………………………..
Shortest wave length
1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
3 ∞

𝛌 = ………………
Longest wave length
 1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
3 4

𝛌=.............
lines of Paschen series are found in the infrared region.
Brackett series: This series is produced when an electron jumps from higher orbits to the
fourth stationary orbit (nf =4)
1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
4 𝑛𝑖

𝑛𝑖 = 5,6,7,8……………………………..
Shortest wave length
1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
4 ∞

𝛌 = …………………
Longest wave length
1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
4 5

𝛌 = …………………
lines of the Brackett series are found in the infrared region.

(v) Pfund series: This series is produced when an electron jumps from higher orbits
to the fifth stationary orbit (nf = 5)
1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
5 𝑛𝑖
 𝑛𝑖 = 6,7,8,9……………………………..

Shortest wave length

1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
5 ∞

𝛌 = …………
Longest wave length
1 1 1
𝛌
=R[ 2
- 2 ]
5 6

𝛌 ≍ …………….
lines of Pfund series are found in infrared region.

Q6. Why should the angular momentum have only those values that are integral
multiples of h/2π? How the French physicist Louis de Broglie explained this puzzle
in 1923, ten years after Bohr proposed his model.
Ans. 1. Louis de Broglie argued that the electron in its circular orbit, as proposed by
Bohr, must be seen as a particle wave.
2. In analogy to waves travelling on a string, particle waves too can lead to standing
waves under resonant conditions.However only those wavelengths survive which have
nodes at the ends.
 3. For an electron moving in nth circular orbit of radius rn, the total distance is the
circumference of the orbit, 2πrn. Thus 2π rn= nλ, where n = 1, 2, 3…
ℎ
4. λ= 𝑝

ℎ
2π rn= n 𝑝
ℎ
2π rn= n 𝑚.𝑣
ℎ
mv rn= n 2.𝝿
ℎ
Angular momentum L = m.v.r = n 2.𝝿