wiz-icon
MyQuestionIcon
MyQuestionIcon
9
You visited us 9 times! Enjoying our articles? Unlock Full Access!
Question

The energy of the electron in a hydrogen atom has a negative sign for all possible orbits because:

A
when the electron is attracted by the nucleus and is present in orbit n, the energy is emitted and its energy is lowered.
Right on! Give the BNAT exam to get a 100% scholarship for BYJUS courses
B
when the electron is attracted by the nucleus and is present in orbit n, the energy is absorbed and its energy is increased
No worries! We‘ve got your back. Try BYJU‘S free classes today!
C
when the electron is repelled by the nucleus, the energy is released and its energy is lowered
No worries! We‘ve got your back. Try BYJU‘S free classes today!
D
none of these
No worries! We‘ve got your back. Try BYJU‘S free classes today!
Open in App
Solution

The correct option is B when the electron is attracted by the nucleus and is present in orbit n, the energy is emitted and its energy is lowered.
The negative sign of the energy of the electron in a hydrogen atom in any orbit means that the energy of the electron in the atom is lower than the energy of a free electron at rest i.e. 0. A free electron at rest means that it is infinitely far away from the nucleus and has negligible attraction towards nucleus. As the electron gets closer to the nucleus attraction increases and thus lower the energy of the system by releasing energy that has negative magnitude.

flag
Suggest Corrections
thumbs-up
0
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
similar_icon
Related Videos
thumbnail
lock
Electronegativity
CHEMISTRY
Watch in App
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
CrossIcon