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Chapter 3: Problem 20

Explain what is required to move an electron from the ground state to an excited state.

Short Answer

Expert verified
To move an electron from the ground state to an excited state in an atom, the electron must absorb exactly the right amount of energy, which is provided by entities like photons. This absorbed energy corresponds exactly to the difference in energy levels between the ground state and the excited state. If the energy provided is not enough or is excess, the electron will remain in its ground state.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Electron Transitions

First, it's important to understand what is meant by an electron transitioning from the ground state to an excited state. In the simplest model of the atom, electrons orbit the nucleus in clearly defined levels. The ground state refers to the lowest potential energy state of an atom, where all of its electrons are in the lowest possible energy levels. An excited state refers to a state where one or more of the atom's electrons has moved to an energy level that is higher than the ground state.
02

Energy Requirement for Transition

For an electron to transition, or move, from the ground state to an excited state, it must absorb exactly the right amount of energy to make the jump. This can occur through processes such as absorption of a photon, which carries a specific amount of energy defined by its frequency (E=\(h \nu\)), where E is energy, \(h\) is Planck's constant (approximately 6.626 x 10^{-34} Joules per second), and \(\nu\) is the frequency of the photon. The specific energy required for an electron to make a transition is determined by the difference in energy levels between the ground state and the excited state.
03

Conservation of Energy

It is important to remember that energy is always conserved. This means that the energy the electron absorbs from the photon (or any other source) will exactly match the difference in energy between the ground state and the excited state. Therefore, if a photon has more or less energy than is required for the transition, it will not be absorbed and the electron will stay in its ground state.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Ground State
The ground state is a term used to describe the lowest energy level of an atom. In this state, all the electrons in an atom are situated as close to the nucleus as possible. This state reflects stability, as electrons naturally prefer to be in the lowest energy levels available. The ground state is a baseline for energy levels, and any movement from this state requires an input of energy.
Atoms in the ground state have their electrons filling up the first or lowest energy levels first, based on the principles of quantum mechanics.
  • This state is significant because it represents the state of an electron that has not absorbed any energy beyond what is intrinsic to the atom.
  • Any addition of energy will cause an electron to move from this base level to a higher energy level, which is known as excitation.
Excited State
An excited state occurs when one or more electrons in an atom have absorbed energy and moved to higher energy levels. Unlike the ground state, the atoms in an excited state possess higher potential energy.
This state is not stable, as electrons naturally seek to return to the ground state, releasing energy in the process. When an electron moves to an excited state, it changes the atom's configuration temporarily.
  • The shift from ground to excited state is termed as electron transition.
  • An excited state can be achieved through different processes, such as photon absorption, which leads to an increase in the energy level.

On returning to the ground state, the energy absorbed is often released in the form of light.
Photon Absorption
Photon absorption is a process by which an electron gains energy and moves from the ground state to an excited state. Photons are particles of light that carry energy, and their energy is defined by their frequency through the formula: \[ E = h u \]Where \(E\) is energy, \(h\) is Planck's constant (approximately \(6.626 \times 10^{-34}\) Joules per second), and \(u\) is the frequency of the photon.
For an electron to jump to a higher energy level, it must absorb a photon with exactly the right amount of energy to match the difference between the energy levels.
  • If the energy of the photon is too much or too little, the electron will not absorb the photon and will remain in the ground state.
  • This selective process emphasizes the quantized nature of electron energy levels within an atom.
Energy Conservation
The principle of energy conservation is central to understanding electron transitions. Energy conservation means that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another.
When an electron absorbs energy (like from a photon) to move to an excited state, the amount of energy absorbed precisely matches the energy difference between the initial and final states.
If a photon does not provide the correct amount of energy needed for this transition, no absorption occurs, and the electron stays at its original energy level.
  • This law ensures that no energy is wasted or unaccounted for during the process of excitation and subsequent return to the ground state.
  • Upon release, when the electron returns to the ground state, the same amount of energy can be given off, oftentimes as light.

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