What kind of energy are we referring when we say that electrons gains or loses energy when it jumps from one energy shell to another?
In chemistry, energy is a measure of how stable a substance is. The lower the energy level of an electron, the more stable the electron is. Thus an electron would be in its most stable state when it is in the K shell For this reason, we refer to as the ground state of the electron. If the electron is in any other shell, we say that the electron is in excited state.
It is quite obvious that an electron at ground state must gain energy in order to become excited. Likewise, an electron at a higher energy level releases energy as it falls down to a lower energy level. Using the formula above, we can calculate how much energy is absorbed/released during the transition of an electron. The energy change during the transition of an electron from to isObviously, a positive energy change means that the electron absorbs energy, while a negative energy change implies a release of energy from the electron. Note that the formula is the energy per mole, rather than that of a single photon.
During transition, an electron absorbs/releases energy is in the form of light energy. The energy of the photon absorbed/released during the transition is equal to the energy change of the electron. Using the properties of DeBroglie waves, we can calculate the wavelength and frequency of the following formula:where denotes Planck's constant, denotes frequency, denotes wavelength, and denotes the speed of light. Combining this formula with the formula above gives the famous Rydberg formula:where is the Rydberg constant.
In chemistry, energy is a measure of how stable a substance is. The lower the energy level of an electron, the more stable the electron is. Thus an electron would be in its most stable state when it is in the K shell For this reason, we refer to as the ground state of the electron. If the electron is in any other shell, we say that the electron is in excited state.
It is quite obvious that an electron at ground state must gain energy in order to become excited. Likewise, an electron at a higher energy level releases energy as it falls down to a lower energy level. Using the formula above, we can calculate how much energy is absorbed/released during the transition of an electron. The energy change during the transition of an electron from to isObviously, a positive energy change means that the electron absorbs energy, while a negative energy change implies a release of energy from the electron. Note that the formula is the energy per mole, rather than that of a single photon.
During transition, an electron absorbs/releases energy is in the form of light energy. The energy of the photon absorbed/released during the transition is equal to the energy change of the electron. Using the properties of DeBroglie waves, we can calculate the wavelength and frequency of the following formula:where denotes Planck's constant, denotes frequency, denotes wavelength, and denotes the speed of light. Combining this formula with the formula above gives the famous Rydberg formula:where is the Rydberg constant.
