Chemistry 6A

Chapter 4: Early Quantum Theory

Observing Atoms
Spectroscopy is the analysis of the light emitted
or absorbed by substances.

Spectrum of Excited Hydrogen Gas

Light Is a Form of Energy

 Light is a form of electromagnetic

radiation
 Light has both electric and magnetic
components (James Clerk Maxwell, 1865)
 Visible light is only a small portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum (400- 750 nm)
 Light carries radiant energy through
space
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Waves Initially, scientists believed that light behaved as a wave – that
energy behaves differently than matter.

 All waves have:

 Wavelength: (l) horizontal

distance between two
corresponding points on a
wave (units are usually nm)

 Frequency: (n) the number of

complete wavelengths that
pass a stationary point in a
second (units are usually Hz,
s-1)

c = ln,  Amplitude: the height of the

crest of each wave (related to
where c = 2.998 x 108 m/s the intensity of the radiation)
i-Clicker Q: Frequency

 Which wave has a higher frequency?

Course Announcements
 Office hours TODAY immediately following
lecture 4:30 – 6 PM (NSB 4th floor kitchen)
 Homework 3 due this Friday (10/16) at 11:55 PM
 Quizzes will be returned in your discussion
section starting THIS week
 Note the 24/7 policy in the syllabus
 Updated syllabus on Ted
 Thursday office hours now Monday 4:30 – 6 PM
(immediately following lecture)
 The university changed exam times and locations
(dates remained the same)
 Exam 1: Sat (10/24) 2 – 4 PM Galbraith 242
 Optional study session:
THIS Thursday 7:30 –
8:30 PM
 Material and Format
York Hall
 Chapter 1 – 4 (concepts
(You are and
here)
material for which you are
responsible can be found in
the learning outcomes on
Ted)
 You will have a table of
conversions
 No cheat sheet allowed
 Multiple choice (30ish)
 Short answer (4)
 You will need
 #2 pencil
 Non-programmable/non-
graphing calculator
 Student ID
 NO SCANTRON
NEEDED—these will be
provided
 Optional water bottle
 Extra Info
 Students arriving after the
first exam has been turned
in will not be able to take the
exam
 You will be allowed into the
room at 2 PM at which point
the exam will have started.
i-Clicker Q: Wavelengths
Electron emission from Mo requires light with a minimum frequency
of 1.09 x 1015 s-1. What is the wavelength of the light?
A.2.75 × 10-6 m
B.275 nm

C.363 nm

D.3.63 × 106 m

Is the light emitted in the visual region of the electromagnetic

spectrum?
A.Yes

B.No
The Dual Nature of Light

 The wave model of light cannot

explain several phenomena of light.
 Blackbody radiation
 Photoelectric Effect
Blackbody Radiation
When objects are heated, they glow different
colors with different intensities.
Scientists and mathematicians tried to write a
formula that would predict the type and intensity
of radiation, but they could not do so by
assuming light was a wave that could have any
possible energy.
Max Planck made the assumption that light could
only have certain energy values, multiples of
smoldering coal 6.626 x 10-34.

electric heating element light bulb filament

Light and the Energy of Light is
Quantized
 The energy of light is “quantized”
 The energy can only have certain values (as opposed to any
possible value).
 A packet of light energy is called a “quantum” (plural =
“quanta”)
 Each packet of energy has energy of hn,
 E = hn
 h = 6.6260693 x 10-34 Js (Planck’s constant)
 A group of photons has energy nhn (where n is the number of
photons)
 E = nhn
Group Work!

 What is the wavelength (in meters) of a

photon with an energy of 5.25 x 10-19 J?
Hint: h = 6.6260693 x 10-34 Js (Planck’s
constant)

 How much energy does a mole of photons

with a frequency of 6.34 x 1014 s-1 have?
The Photoelectric Effect
 When light strikes the surface of
a metal, electrons are ejected,
creating a current IF
 The light has at least a certain
frequency

 Intense light at low frequencies

does not cause electrons to be
ejected
The light particles do not have enough
energy to transfer to the electrons.
The Photoelectric Effect

 If the light has at least the

threshold frequency, the
strength of the current increases
with the intensity of the light.
Intensity = increase in number of photons hitting the
metal
 The Photoelectric Effect
 Threshold frequency, v0, is the minimum frequency beyond
which electrons are ejected; it is dependent on the metal used in
the photoelectric tube.
 Einstein: Using Plank’s equation, consider EMR to consist of a
beam of particles called photon of energy equal to hv.

Plot of EK vs v for sodium gives:

c
l0 =
n0

Photons strongly suggest the quantization of energy!

Quantum
staircase.
 Kinetic Energy of Ejected Electrons
Platinum will begin to eject electrons when exposed to UV
light of 195.7 nm. Will EMR of wavelength 175 nm cause
electrons to be ejected and if so what will their kinetic energy
be?

First: For electrons to be ejected, photons with energy with at

least equal to the threshold frequency must strike the Pt
surface. Since 175 nm is shorter wavelength light than 195.7
nm, and therefore higher energy, electrons will be ejected.

Second: The kinetic energy will be equal to the energy left

over after the electrons are ejected:
Ek = E provided - Ethreshold = hn - hn 0
 Kinetic Energy of Ejected Electrons (cont’d)
So:

2.998 ´ 10 8 m ×s –1
c
n0 = = = 1.532 ´ 1015
Hz
l0 195.7 ´ 10 m-9

2.998 ´ 10 8 m ×s –1
c
n= = = 1.713 ´ 1015
Hz
l 175 ´ 10 m-9

E K = h(n –n 0 ) = 6.626 ´ 10 -34 J ×s (1.713 ´ 1015 Hz – 1.532 ´ 1015 Hz)

E K = 1.200 ´ 10 -19 J = 0.120 aJ

What would their velocity be in m/s?

Dual Nature of Light

 Light has a dual nature

 Wave
 Light travels through space as waves
 Particle
 Individual particles or “packets” of light are called
photons
Atomic Emission Spectra
 When gases are heated, they give off light at certain
frequencies.
 In other words, atoms absorb or emit energy only at specific
wavelengths
 Atomic Emission Spectra
When an atom is excited the electrons can be excited to
different energy levels. The electrons transition back to the
ground energy level by releasing energy as photon.
Energy
Demo: Flame Test!
Course Announcements
 Grades, etc.
 Homework 4 due this Friday (10/23) at 11:55 PM
 Quizzes will be returned in your discussion
section starting THIS week
 Note the 24/7 policy in the syllabus
 Optional study session: TONIGHT (8 – 9 PM)
Peterson Hall
 Exam 1: Sat (10/24) 2 – 4 PM Galbraith 242
 Material and Format
 Chapter 1 – 4 (concepts and
material for which you are
responsible can beYork Hall in
found
(You are here)
the learning outcomes on
Ted)
 You will have a table of
conversions
 No cheat sheet allowed
 Multiple choice (30ish)
 Short answer (4)
 You will need
 #2 pencil
 Non-programmable/non-graphing
calculator
 Student ID
 NO SCANTRON NEEDED—
these will be provided
 Optional water bottle
 Extra Info
 Students arriving after the first
exam has been turned in will not
be able to take the exam
 You will be allowed into the room
at 2 PM at which point the exam
will have started.
Office hours/study session poll
Study session RSVP: I will be at the study
session this evening (8 PM Peterson Hall).
A. True

B. False

I was going to come to office hours today, I

cannot come to the study session this evening,
and I cannot come to Dr. Dembinski’s office AT
ALL on Thursday.
A. True

B. False
Bohr Model of the Atom
 Electrons are located at
certain distances from the
nucleus
 Only certain distances are
“allowed”
 Distance of the electron
from the nucleus is
related to the amount of
energy the electron has
 The further an electron is
from the nucleus, the
more energy it has

Principal quantum number, describes the

distance of an electron from the nucleus
Electron Transitions in a
Hydrogen Atom
Three Series of Spectral Lines of Atomic Hydrogen.

Emission spectrum of hydrogen explained nicely by Rydberg-Balmer equation

for the visible series, nf = 2 and ni = 3, 4, 5, ...

1 æ1 1ö
= (1.097 ´ 107 m –1 ) ç 2 – 2 ÷ where ni > n f
l çn n ÷
è f i ø

hc
E  hn  and ln  c  2.998  108 m  s 1
l
But…
Question
 Hydrogen atoms are excited by laser to the
n=3 state.
 What is the maximum number of spectral lines
that could be observed?

 What wavelength of the 2  1 transition? Is it in

the visible spectrum?
Electrons and Light Absorption
and Emission When electrons absorb
energy (in the form of light),
they move from a lower
energy level to a higher one.

When electrons move from

a higher energy level to a
lower energy level, they give
off energy in the form of
light (“emission”)
Absorption or Emission?

 An electron goes from n = 1 to n = 3. Was a

photon absorbed or given off during this
process?
Question!

 According to the energy diagram below for

the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom, if an
electron jumps from E1 to E2, energy is
A. absorbed
B. created
C. destroyed
D. emitted
E. unnecessary
 Bohr Frequency Condition
 Spectral lines arise from electron transitions occurring
between two energy levels. If the energy difference is
emitted (or absorbed) as a photon, then the frequency of an
individual line in a spectrum is related to the energy
difference between the the levels involved in the transition.
 This is known as the Bohr Frequency Condition:

–2.1799 ´10 –18 J –2.1799 aJ

En = = where n = 1, 2, 3, ...
n 2
n 2

E photon = DE = E final - Einitial

Line Spectra and
the Bohr Model
 We can show that

hc æ1 1ö
DE = hn = = (-2.18´10 -18 J) çç 2 - 2 ÷÷
l è n f ni ø
 When ni > nf, energy is emitted.
 When nf > ni, energy is
absorbed
The Bohr model described the emission spectra of
hydrogen, but it was not really useful for describing the
emission spectra of other elements. Bohr model is not a
valid model for the atom; however, it did provide us with
one important idea that we maintain: the energy of an
atom and the electrons in the atom occur in discrete levels.
Group Work: Emission Problem!

 An electron goes from n = 1 to n = 3. Was a photon

absorbed or given off during this process? Calculate the
energy, frequency, and wavelength of the photon.
Question!

 Which of the following electron transitions

requires the greatest energy to be absorbed
by the hydrogen atom?
A. from n = 2 to n = 6

B. from n = 4 to n = 7

C. from n = 1 to n = 2

D. from n = 3 to n = 6

E. from n = 2 to n = 4
Course Announcements
 Grades, etc.
 Homework 4 due this Friday (10/23) at 11:55 PM
 Quizzes were returned in your discussion
section starting THIS week
 Note the 24/7 policy in the syllabus
 Exam 1: Sat (10/24) 2 – 4 PM Galbraith 242
 Material and Format
 Chapter 1 – 4 (concepts and
material for which you are
responsible can beYork
found
Hall in
the learning outcomes
(You areon
here)
Ted)
 You will have a table of
conversions
 No cheat sheet allowed
 Multiple choice (27)
 Short answer (4)
 You will need
 #2 pencil
 Non-programmable/non-graphing
calculator
 Student ID
 NO SCANTRON NEEDED—
these will be provided
 Optional water bottle
 Extra Info
 Students arriving after the first
exam has been turned in will not
be able to take the exam
 You will be allowed into the room
at 2 PM at which point the exam
will have started.
Energy of Ionization

 Ionization energy is the energy required to

completely remove the outermost electron
from the ground state of the atom.
 Ground state (n = 1)
 First excited state (n = 2)
 Second excited state (n = 3)
 …
 Final state (n = ∞)
Calculating Ionization Energy

 Determine the ionization energy of a

hydrogen atom in the ground state.
Atomic Line Spectra and Niels Bohr

Bohr’s theory was a great

accomplishment.
Nobel Prize, 1922
Problems with theory —
 theory only successful for H.

 introduced quantum idea

Niels Bohr artificially.
(1885-1962)  So, let’s expand the idea using
QUANTUM MECHANICS
Quantum or Wave Mechanics

de Broglie (1924) proposed

that all moving objects have
wave properties.
For light: E = mc2
E = hn = hc / l
Louis de Broglie Therefore, mc = h / l
(1892-1987) and for particles
(mass)(velocity) = h / l
 The Wave Nature of Matter

 Knowing that light has a particle nature, it seems

reasonable to ask if matter has a wave nature.
 Using Einstein’s and Planck’s equations, de Broglie
showed: h Combining energy for photons
l and mass-energy equivalence
mv
 The momentum, mv, is a particle property, whereas l is a
wave property.
 de Broglie summarized the concepts of waves and
particles, with noticeable effects if the objects are small.
Some cool implications: If matter can be wavelike, maybe energy (light) could have mass!
Group Work! DeBroglie Wavelengths

 What is the deBroglie wavelength of an electron with a speed

one-tenth the speed of light?

 What is the deBroglie wavelength of a 50. g golf ball travelling at

400 m/s?

h
l
mv