Summary of Chemistry Textbook Section 1.

3: Electron Arrangement
The electromagnetic spectrum
- Light consists of electromagnetic waves
- Wavelength of light = distance between successive crests ranges from around 8 x 10
-7
m
for red light to around 4 x 10
-7
for violet light
- Frequency of light = number of waves passing a given point each second ranges from
about 4 x 10
-14
for red light to about 8 x 10
-14
for violet light
- Wavelength of energy of light related by the equation:

Where E = the energy
x = the wavelength
h = the constant
c = the speed of light
- Energy if light increase as the wavelength decreases
- Frequency and energy of light related by the equation:

Where v = the frequency

- As energy increases, the frequency of the light also increases, therefore, red ligt is of lower
energy than violet light
- High energy is more dangerous than low energy
- Visible light: broader electromagnetic spectrum gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet rays,
infrared waves, microwaves and radio waves
- When sunlight = containing all wavelengths of visible light passes through a prism, the
different wavelengths are bent through different angles so that the light is broken into its
components producing a continuous spectrum of colours
The Bohr model of the atom
- 1913, Danish physicist Niels Bohr proposed that electrons move around the nucleus in fixed
energy levels called shells
- Each atom has a series of these shells
- Shells close to the nucleus are of low energy, those further out are of higher energy
- Shells numbered: 1,2,3
- Electrons move around the nucleus in these shells in pathways called orbits
- Different shells hold different numbers of electrons with a maximum number of electrons
that can fit in any shell = 2n
2
where n = the shell number
- The lowest energy state of an atom is known as the ground state
- The Bohr model of the atom can be shown in full detail with numbers of protons, neutrons
and electrons
- Electron arrangement of an ion will be different from that of the atom from which it was
formed ion is an atom that has lost or gained electrons

Evidence for the Bohr model: line spectra
- Emission spectra of atoms emissions of light from atoms that have been provided with
energy such as heat, light or electricity
- If atoms are subjected to large amounts of energy from eat, light or electricity, electrons can
change energy levels
- Electrons jump to energy levels further from the nucleus than they would usually occupy =
excited state
- When electrons return to the ground state this extra energy is releases in the form of light
- Electrons make specific jumps depending on the energy levels involved, therefore the light
released has a specific wavelength
- The emitted light, a line spectrum, looks like a series of coloured lines on a black background
as some of the emissions may be radiation of a wavelength that is not visible to the naked
eye
- Model enabled him to predict correctly an emission line that had previously not been
detected
- 1885 Johann Balmer was able to calculate the wavelengths of the four lines in the hydrogen
emission spectrum
- Energy of these lines corresponds to the difference in energies between outer electron
shells and the second electron shell of hydrogen group of lines became Balmer series
- Ultraviolet region of the spectrum transitions from higher energy levels to the 1
st
shell
- Infrared region of the spectrum transitions from the higher energy levels to the 3
rd
shell
- Each line in the hydrogen emission spectrum corresponds to a transition between two
energy levels of the hydrogen atom
- Lines become closer to each other as the wavelength decreases
- Bohrs model explained the increasing closeness of the emission lines in terms of the
decreasing difference between the energies of the shells as their distance from the nucleus
increased
- Lines becoming closer together as their energy increases because the energy of the shells is
increasing by diminishing amounts
- Shell 4 is closer to shell 3 than shell 3 is to shell 2 and shell 2 is to shell 1
- At the outermost edge of the atom, energies of the electron shells are so close they are
indistinguishable from each other highest energy of each series of lines in the emission
spectrum, they merge into a continuum = convergence
Section 1.3 Exercises
1. Outline the model of electron movement around the nucleus proposed by Bohr. Niel Bohr
proposed that electrons moved around the nucleus in fixed energy levels called shells.
2. Identify the electron that will have the greater energy: an electron in shell 1 or one in shell
2. Explain your answer. An electron in shell 2 will have the greatest energy as the shells
close to the nucleus are of low energy.
3. Draw a Bohr diagram for a magnesium atom, indicating the number and position of each
subatomic particle.



4. A) Determine the electron arrangement for each of the following elements.
31
15
P 2, 8, 5
19
9
F 2, 7
40
18
Ar 2, 8, 8
39
19
K 2, 8, 8, 1
B) Determine the electron arrangement for each of the following ions.
24
12
Mg
2+
2, 8
19
9
F
-
2, 8
32
16
S
2-
2, 8, 8
39
19
K
+
2, 8, 8
5. A) State how many electrons there are in the valence shell of each of the following atoms.
12
6
C 4
27
13
Al 3
19
9
F 7
B) State how many electrons there are in the valence shell of each of the following ions?
27
13
Al
3+
8
31
15
P
3-
8
35
17
Cl
-
8
6. Compared to the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, state where you would
find:
A) The ultraviolet region contains waves with shorter wavelengths than visible light and
therefore left of the visible light region on the emission spectrum
B) The infrared region contains waves with longer wavelengths than visible light and
therefore right of the visible light region of the emission spectrum
7. Consider the emission spectrum of hydrogen. Identify the electron shell to which electrons
are falling for the following series.
A) The Balmer series 2
B) The Lyman series 1
C) The Paschen series 3
8. Draw a labelled flowchart to describe how an emission spectrum is produced for an
element such as hydrogen.
9. Explain how each of the four lines in the visible region of the hydrogen emission spectrum
is related to an energy level in hydrogen. Each line in the hydrogen emission spectrum
corresponds to a transition between two energy levels of the hydrogen atom as after
electrons reach an excited state through being heated, jumping to an energy level further
from the nucleus than they would usually occupy the energy is released in a form of light.
The electrons make specific jumps depending on the energy levels involved therefore the
light released has a specific wavelength.
10. Predict which is larger: the energy released by an electron transition between shell 6 and
shell 5 or the energy released by an electron transition between shell 4 and shell 3. Explain
your answer. More energy will be released by an electron transition between shell 6 and
shell 5 as the lines become closer together increasing their energy because the energy of the
shells is increasing by diminishing amounts
11. The term convergence describes the decreasing distance between the lines in an emission
spectrum as the energy of a set of spectral lines increases. Explain why this occurs. Each
line in the hydrogen emission spectrum corresponds to a transition between two energy
levels of the hydrogen atom therefor the lines become closer to each other as the
wavelength decreases
12. Draw labelled diagrams to distinguish between a continuous spectrum and a line
spectrum.