Exploring Bohr’s Model of the Atom: Prelab Activity

Name_________________________________________
Directions: Answer the following using your knowledge of chemistry

1. Number the following models in the order they were created.

Rutherford’s model Dalton’s Billiard Thompson’s Plum

Ball model Pudding model
3 1 2
2. Describe what each model predicted about the structure of atoms. What were some
shortcomings of each model? Sample answers:
Model Predictions Shortcomings

Dalton’s Atoms are the smallest unit of Didn’t know of the existence of
Billiard Ball matter subatomic particles
Atoms are hard spheres

Thompson’s Plum Negative particles in a sea of Uniformly distributed positive and

Pudding positive charge negative charges throughout the
atom

Rutherofrd’s Atoms are mostly empty space. Distributed electrons throughout

model Atoms contain a positively the entire volume of the atom.
charged center where most of the
mass is located.
Negative electrons are located
outside the nucleus.

3. What do you think an atom looks like?

Make a sketch, including labels.
Answers will vary

Use the diagram(1) showing a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to answer questions 4-5.
Higher Lower
Energy Energy

4. Which section of the spectrum has the longest wavelength? Which has the shortest?
broadcast/radio – longest wavelengths gamma - shortest wavelength
5. What is the relationship between wavelength and energy?
The longer the wavelength, the lower the energy

1 Figure from Openstax Chemistry 2e Figure 6.13 under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
 Exploring Bohr’s Model of the Atom
Learning Goals
● Describe how Bohr’s model advanced our understanding of atomic structure
● Relate energy, wavelength and electron transitions using the Bohr Model
● Explain how the line spectrum for hydrogen is produced

Open Play
1. Take 5 min to play with the PhET sim, Models of the Hydrogen Atom. Describe three main things you have
discovered:
●
●
●
Then share your discoveries with a partner.
What is one discovery your partner made that you find interesting?

Collect and Interpret Data

Work with a partner to answer all of the following.

2. On the Spectral lines screen, use White Light to compare some models of the atom. Use check marks ✓
to indicate which characteristics are present in each model.

model Shows charged Absorbs/emits Contains a nucleus? Electrons located outside

particles? photons? the nucleus?

Billiard Ball

Plum ✓ ✓
Pudding

Rutherford ✓ ✓ ✓

Bohr ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Summarize how each model built upon the discoveries and models that came before it.

As discoveries were made, the existence and location of subatomic particles changed. (No
subatomic particles → positive and negative charges mixed together → protons in the nucleus and
electrons outside the nucleus → electrons in energy levels orbiting the nucleus.)

3. Using Bohr’s model, bombard the atom with photons of different wavelengths. Record your observations
below. NOTE: Be sure that the electron is at n=1 before switching wavelengths.
Wavelength Photon observations Electron observations
(nm) Example Responses Example Responses

Before The electron is moving around in the nucleus in

turning on n=1
light source

94 UV photons move through the When the electron absorbs a photon of 94 nm it

atom. A photon may be absorbed jumps to n=6.
by the electron. The electron will then make its way back to n=1,
A photon is emitted from the following different paths.
electron, the wavelength/color of
that photon varies.

103 Same as above When the electron absorbs a photon of 103 nm

it jumps to n=3.
The electron will then make its way back to n=1,
following different paths (3 > 2 >1 or 3>1).

410 Violet photons move through the The electron remains at n=1
atom.
None are absorbed by the electron.

600 Light orange photons move The electron remains at n=1

through the atom. None are
absorbed by the electron.

Choose your
own:

Reflect on the results with your partner. What conclusions can you draw about the structure of the atom
and the behavior of electrons? Answers will vary. Some conclusions:
● The electron can only absorb certain amounts of energy
● Different amounts of energy will cause the electron to jump to a different location (eg.
94nm vs 103 nm)
● When an electron is at a higher energy level it has more energy than when it is at a lower
one.
● The electron always returns back to its original energy level (n = 1)
● The electron emits a photon as it moves from a higher energy level to a lower one

4. Observe what happens in the spectrometer panel using the same wavelengths from question 3.

Note: Be sure to erase, , the spectrometer data after switching to a new wavelength.
Wavelength Spectrometer Observations

94 Data points appear at the following wavelengths:

94 nm, 95 nm, 97 nm, 103 nm, 122 nm, 410 nm, 434 nm, 486 nm, 656 nm,
1094 nm, 1282 nm, 1876 nm, 2626 nm, 4052 nm and 7460 nm

103 Data points appear at the following wavelengths:

103 nm, 122 nm and 656 nm
 410 No data points

600 No data points

Compare the wavelength absorbed by the electron with the wavelength(s) emitted. What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
Even though the electron is absorbing energy of a particular wavelength, it can emit energy of that
same wavelength or different ones depending on the path it takes to get back to n=1.

Students may wonder why different wavelengths are emitted when an electron moves between
adjacent energy levels (eg n=6 → n=5 vs n=3 → n=2).

Now switch to the Energy Level Screen of the sim.

5. a. Using Bohr’s model, return to a wavelength of 94 nm. Use the sim to observe all the paths the electron
can take as it transitions from n=6 (excited state) to n=1 (ground state). Sketch some of those paths
below. One has been done for you.

Ex 1 Ex 2 Ex 3
Ex 4

b. Choose an example above and order the electron transitions from largest wavelength emitted to
smallest.
Answers will vary. In general electron transitions between higher energy levels (eg. n =6 to n=5) emit
longer wavelengths. Transitions back to n=1 emit shorter (UV) wavelengths.

c. Using the same example, and your answer from part b, order the electron transitions from the smallest
amount of energy emitted to the largest.
Answers will vary. In general electron transitions between higher energy levels (eg. n =6 to n=5) emit
longer wavelengths. Transitions back to n=1 emit shorter (UV) wavelengths.

d. What is the relationship between the distance between the energy levels and the wavelength/energy of
the photon emitted?

When an electron transitions between higher energy levels, eg, n=6 to n=5 the distance between them is
small. Thus only a small amount of energy (longer wavelength photon) is released during that
 transition. When an electron transitions from a higher energy level to n=1, the distance is greater and a
larger amount of energy is released (shorter wavelength photon).

Share your results with another group. Did they reach similar conclusions? Did you learn something
new?

Answers will vary

With your partner, summarize how the line spectrum of hydrogen is produced according to the
Bohr model.

The line spectrum is produced when the excited electron transitions from the excited state to the
ground state, releasing energy in the process. Each time the electron transitions from a higher
energy level to a lower one, it releases energy of a particular wavelength.

Reflect
6. Summarize Bohr’s model of the hydrogen atom. Support each prediction with evidence from the
simulation.
Prediction Evidence from simulation

An electron orbits the nucleus in a predictable path There are different rings (energy levels) around the
nucleus that the electron can occupy.

Electrons can only absorb energy of a particular The electron didn’t get excited when bombarded
wavelength. with photons at 400nm and 600nm

An electron can only emit certain amounts of energy The spectrometer data points are only at certain
wavelengths.

Energy levels are closer together as the distance from An electron emits less energy transitioning from
the nucleus increases. n=6 → n=5, than from n=2 → n=1

Synthesis
7. List 3 examples of an electron transition that results in energy being absorbed.
Answers should reflect transitions from a lower energy level to a higher one

8. A student predicts that an excited electron in a hydrogen atom can emit all the colors in the visible
spectrum (ROYGBIV) as it transitions back to the ground state. Do you agree or disagree with the
student’s prediction? Support your answer.
Disagree – The excited electron can only emit certain wavelengths of energy. In the visible
spectrum, those wavelengths are 410 nm (violet), 434 nm (blue), 486 nm (blue-green) and 656 nm
(red).