Name:

The Bohr Model of the

Hydrogen Atom
Introduction
The bright-line spectra of various gases had been studied and analyzed for at least a decade before they
could be explained. In 1914, Niels Bohr, a Danish physicist, incorporated Planck's theory about energy and
the Rutherford model of the atom into a new model of the atom. The new model was able to successfully
explain the spectrum produced by glowing hydrogen. The main idea in this model was that the energy
given off by an atom is due to the jumping of the electrons between "orbits". An electron in a "low energy
state" (an orbit close the nucleus) could be excited to a higher energy state (further from the nucleus). Once
in a higher state, the electron could "fall" to a lower state, releasing a quantum of energy. An atom could
also have so much energy added to it that an electron would jump completely off of the atom, thus causing
the atom to become a cation.

Purpose
The purpose of this lab is to gain a thorough understanding of the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom. Also,
you will practice determining frequencies and energies of electromagnetic radiation, and use them to make
some predictions about the spectrum of hydrogen.

General Procedure
Observe the bright-line spectrum of hydrogen as carefully as you are able. Use the spectroscope set up in
the lab, and record the wavelengths of the light given off -- there are four lines in hydrogen's spectrum.

Determine the frequency and energy of the photons of light associated with each of the wavelengths of light
which you observed. Record all the values in a table format in the data section. Show a sample calculation
for each type of calculation performed.

In the results section for this lab, you are to use your calculated data for the energies of light given off by
hydrogen in constructing an "energy level diagram" for the hydrogen atom. You will need to start with this
information:
• The "ground state" of an atom is the lowest energy state. This is the most stable arrangement of
electrons. The atom is in the ground state when its electrons are in the orbits closest to the nucleus.
This orbit can be called the first orbit, and is given a label n = 1. (n is called the “principal quantum
number”.)

• The second orbit, n = 2, is 1.64 X 10-18 J higher in energy than the 1st orbit for hydrogen. I’m giving
this information to you for free.

• The visible energy (light) produced by hydrogen occurs when an electron in an energy level, or orbit,
higher than n = 2 drops to the second energy level. Thus, the lowest energy visible light occurs when
an electron moves from n = 3 to n = 2.

• The ionization energy of hydrogen is 2.18 X 10-18 J. This energy represents the energy difference
between the ground state and the highest possible excited state for the electron in hydrogen, n = ∞.

• Planck’s constant (“h”) is 6.62 x 10-34 J. s; The speed of light (“c”) is 3.00 x 108 m/s.
Questions for Discussion
One thing to address in your discussion is the following: According to Bohr, electrons jumping to the
second energy level from higher levels produce the visible bright line spectrum for hydrogen. But electrons
could jump to any orbit from a higher orbit. What wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation are associated
with electrons jumping to the ground state (n = 1) from higher orbits? What wavelengths of radiation are
associated with electrons jumping to the 3rd orbit from higher orbits? Do some research to find out if these
wavelengths of energy have ever been observed coming from hydrogen.

Look up Bohr, Planck, Lyman, Balmer, and Paschen. Find out how atomic spectra were used by
astronomers studying stars at the beginning of this century.

The radius of an orbit in the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom is given by:
 h2  n2
r = 2 2 
 4π me  Z
 
where h is Planck’s constant, m is the mass of an electron, e is the charge of an electron, Z is the atomic
number, and n is the principal quantum number (or energy level). Calculate the radii of the first few Bohr
orbits in nm and in Å, and show your work in your discussion.