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Topic 12 Atomic Structure HL

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26 views10 pages

Topic 12 Atomic Structure HL

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alexchahla2006
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Atomic structure HL

IB CHEMISTRY HL
Understandings:

• In an emission spectrum, the limit of convergence at higher frequency


corresponds to the first ionization energy.

• Trends in first ionization energy across periods account for the existence of main
energy levels and sub-levels in atoms.

• Successive ionization energy data for an element give information that shows
relations to electron configurations.

Applications and skills:

• Solving problems using 𝐸𝐸 = ℎ𝑣𝑣

• Calculation of the value of the first ionization energy from spectral data which
gives the wavelength or frequency of the convergence limit.

• Deduction of the group of an element from its successive ionisation energy data.

• Explanation of the trends and discontinuities in first ionisation energy across a


period.

Guidance:

• The value of Planck’s constant (h) and 𝐸𝐸= ℎ𝑣𝑣 are given in the data booklet in
sections 1 and 2.

• Use of the Rydberg formula is not expected in calculations of ionization energy.

Syllabus checklist

Objective I am confident I need to I need help


with this review this with this
Calculate the ionisation
energy of an atom given the
wavelength or frequency of
the convergence limit
Deduce the group number
of an element from its
successive ionisation
energy data
Explain the trends and
discontinuities in ionisation
energy across a period

ATOMIC STRUCTURE HL WWW.MSJCHEM.COM 1


Ionisation energy and the convergence limit

• In an atom, the highest possible energy level corresponds to the frequency at


which the spectral lines converge (n = ∞).
• By determining the frequency at which the spectral lines converge (known as the
convergence limit) the ionisation energy can be calculated.
• If enough energy is supplied, the electron in the hydrogen atom can be promoted
from n = 1 to the infinity energy level, n = ∞.
• At this point, the electron has been removed from the attraction of the nucleus and
the atom has been ionized to form a H+ ion.

H(g) → H+(g) + e-

ATOMIC STRUCTURE HL WWW.MSJCHEM.COM 2


Calculations involving E = hv

E = hv c = λv
E is energy in Joules (J)
h is Planck’s constant (6.63 × 10-34 J·s)
v is the frequency in s-1 (or Hertz, Hz)
c is the speed of light (3.00 × 108 m s-1)
λ is the wavelength in m or nm (1 m = 1 × 109 nm)

Exercises: use the formulas and constants above to answer the following questions.

1. What is the frequency, in s-1, of a photon of light with an energy of 2.24 × 10-19 J?

2. What is the wavelength, in m, of light with a frequency of 7.11 × 1014 s-1?

3. A photon of light has a wavelength of 6.98 × 10-7 m. How much energy does it
have in J?

4. How much energy, in J, does a photon of light have if it has a wavelength of 5.26
× 10-7 m?

5. What is the wavelength, in m, of a photon of light if it has an energy of 4.01 × 10-19


J?

6. What is the wavelength, in m, of a photon of light with an energy of 1.66 × 10-19 J?

ATOMIC STRUCTURE HL WWW.MSJCHEM.COM 3


Calculating ionisation energy
Example 1: In the hydrogen emission spectrum, the transition from n = ∞ to n = 1
produces a line in the UV spectrum with a wavelength of 9.12 × 10-8 m. Calculate the
ionisation energy of a hydrogen atom.

• First, convert from wavelength to frequency:


c = λ𝜈𝜈
3.00 × 108 = 9.12 × 10-8 𝜈𝜈
3.00×108
𝜈𝜈 = = 3.29 × 1015 s-1
9.12×10−8

• Next, calculate the energy to remove one electron from one hydrogen atom:

𝐸𝐸=ℎ𝑣𝑣
E = 6.63 × 10-34 × 3.29 × 1015
E = 2.18 × 10-18 J

• Finally, calculate the energy to remove one mole of electrons from one mole of
hydrogen atom, in kJ mol-1

(6.02 × 1023 × 2.18 × 10-18 ) / 1000 = 1310 kJ mol-1

Example 2: Determine the wavelength of a photon that will cause the first ionisation of
helium. The ionisation energy of helium is 2372 kJ mol-1.

• First, calculate the energy to remove one electron from one helium atom:
2372000
𝐸𝐸 = = 3.94 × 10-18 J
6.02×1023
• Next, calculate the frequency of the photon:
𝐸𝐸=ℎ𝑣𝑣
3.94 × 10-18 = 6.63 × 10-34 ν
ν = 5.94 × 1015 s-1
• Finally convert from frequency to wavelength:
c = λ𝜈𝜈
3.00 × 108 = 5.94 × 1015 λ
3.00×108
λ= = 5.05 × 10-8 m
5.94×1015

ATOMIC STRUCTURE HL WWW.MSJCHEM.COM 4


Exercises:

1. Define the term convergence limit.

2. Which transition corresponds to the ionisation of hydrogen in the ground state?

3. What has occurred when the electron is said to be in the n=∞ energy level?

4. The convergence limit for the sodium atom has a wavelength of 2.42 × 10-7 m.
Calculate the first ionization energy of sodium from this data.
The two equations you need are c = λ𝜈𝜈 and E = h𝜈𝜈
Planck’s constant = 6.63 × 10-34 J s
c = 3.00 × 108 m s-1

5. Calculate the frequency of a photon that will cause the first ionisation of copper.

ATOMIC STRUCTURE HL WWW.MSJCHEM.COM 5


Successive ionisation energies
• Successive ionisation energies increase because as more electrons are removed
from an atom or ion, the nucleus attracts the remaining electrons more strongly.
• We can determine to which group an element belongs to by looking at a graph of
successive ionisation energies.
• The graph below shows the successive ionisation energies of aluminium.

We can divide the graph into three sections:

1. These outer electrons are removed from the energy level furthest from the
nucleus (n = 3), therefore, they require the less energy to remove (weaker
electrostatic attraction from the nucleus and shielding by inner electrons).

2. These electrons are removed from the second main energy level (n = 2). Notice
the jump between the 3rd and 4th ionisation energies. This is evidence of the
existence of energy levels within the atom and tells us that aluminium is located in
group 13 of the periodic table (because it has 3 valence electrons).

3. These electrons are being removed from the energy level closest to the nucleus (n
= 1). These electrons require the most energy to remove because of the strong
electrostatic attraction from the nucleus and the lack of shielding from the positive
nucleus.

ATOMIC STRUCTURE HL WWW.MSJCHEM.COM 6


Exercises

1. Explain why the successive ionisation energies of an element show an increase.

2. From the graph of successive ionisation energies below, explain to which group of
the periodic table the elements belong.

3. The graph below shows the first ten ionisation energies of an element. To which
group does the element belong?

ATOMIC STRUCTURE HL WWW.MSJCHEM.COM 7


4. From the table of data shown below, explain to which group the element belongs.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th


Ionisation energy 420 3600 4400 5900
(kJ mol-1)

5. Sketch a graph to show the relative values of the successive ionisation energies
of boron.

ATOMIC STRUCTURE HL WWW.MSJCHEM.COM 8


Discontinuities in ionisation energy across a period (Be to B and Mg to Al)

• Be has the electronic configuration 1s2 2s2


• B has the electronic configuration 1s2 2s2 2p1
• Electrons in p orbitals are of higher energy and further from the nucleus than
electrons in s orbitals, therefore they require less energy to remove.
• The same explanation can be applied for the drop in ionisation energy from Mg to
Al, except that the electron configurations are 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 and 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2
3p1

N to O and P to S

• N has the electronic configuration 1s2 2s2 2p3


• O has the electronic configuration 1s2 2s2 2p4
• For oxygen, the electron is removed from a doubly occupied p orbital. An electron
in a doubly occupied orbital is repelled by the other electron and requires less
energy to remove than an electron in a half-filled orbital.

Exercises:

1. Explain the reason for the decrease in ionisation energy between Mg and Al.

2. Explain the reason for the decrease in ionisation energy between P and S.

ATOMIC STRUCTURE HL WWW.MSJCHEM.COM 9

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