Electrons in Atoms: Quantum Model, Orbitals, and Spectra

Energy Levels

The fixed energies an electron can have.

Quantum

is the amount of energy required to move an electron from one energy level to another energy level.

Quantum Mechanical Model

Comes from the mathematical solutions to the Schrodinger equation (description of the electron in atoms).

Atomic Orbital

a region of space in which there is a high probability of finding an electron.

Electron Configurations

the way electrons are arranged in various orbitals around the nuclei of atoms.

Aufbau Principle

Electrons occupy the orbitals of lowest energy first.

Pauli exclusion principle

an atomic orbital can describe at most two electrons.

Hund's rule

states that electrons occupy orbitals of the same energy in a way that makes the number of electrons with the same spin direction as large as possible.

Amplitude

is the wave's height from zero to the crest.

Wavelength

represented by the Greek letter λ, is the distance between the crests.

Frequency

represented by the Greek letter nu, is the number of wave cycles to pass a given point per unit of time.

Hertz

The SI unit of cycles per second.

Electromagnetic radiation

includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible light, ultraviolet waves, X-rays, and gamma rays. All electromagnetic waves travel in a vacuum at a speed of 2.998x10^8m/s.

Spectrum

When sunlight passes through a prism, the different frequencies separate into a Spectrum of colors.

Atomic Emission Spectrum

the frequencies of light emitted by an element are separated into discrete lines to give the atomic emission spectrum of the element.

Ground State

the lowest possible energy of the electron.

Photons

Light quanta.

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

states that it is impossible to know exactly both the velocity and the position of a particle at the same time.