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Chapter 4: Problem 57

What are two things that happen to an electron in an atom as the \(n\) value of the electron increases?

Short Answer

Expert verified
As the principal quantum number (n) increases, two significant changes happen to an electron in an atom: 1. The electron's energy increases, causing it to occupy higher energy levels within the atom and be found at a greater average distance from the nucleus due to larger, more extensive orbitals. 2. The number of available orbitals increases, resulting in more possibilities for different subshells and orbital shapes, as well as higher angular momentum for electrons in higher energy levels.

Step by step solution

01

1. Increase in Energy and Distance from Nucleus

As the principal quantum number (n) increases, the energy of the electron increases as well. This means that the electron will occupy higher energy levels within the atom. With this increase in energy, the electron is also found at a greater average distance from the nucleus, since the electrons in the higher energy levels have larger, more extensive orbitals.
02

2. Increase in Orbitals and Angular Momentum

As the principal quantum number (n) increases, the number of available orbitals for electrons also increases. For each value of n, there are n² orbitals. This means that as n increases, the electrons have more possibilities for different subshells (s, p, d, f) and orbital shapes to occupy. Additionally, the electrons in higher energy levels generally have higher angular momentum, as each subsequent subshell has electrons with a greater angular momentum quantum number (l).

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Most popular questions from this chapter

What is the wavelength in nanometers of infrared light for which \(\lambda=2.50 \times 10^{-5} \mathrm{~m}\) ? How many times longer is this wavelength than red light that has a wavelength of \(750 \mathrm{~nm}\) ?

Draw an s orbital, a \(p\) orbital, and a \(d\) orbital.

Why are the \(s, p, d\), and \(f\) blocks in the periodic table \(2,6,10\), and 14 blocks wide, respectively?

What is the valence shell in \(\mathrm{Mg}\), Ge, \(\mathrm{W}\), \(C \mathrm{~s} ?\)

Name each element and tell how many valence electrons it has: (a) \(1 s^{2} 2 s^{2} 2 p^{6} 3 s^{2} 3 p^{2}\) (b) \([\mathrm{Ne}] 3 \mathrm{~s}^{1}\) (c) \([\mathrm{Ar}] 4 s^{2} 3 d^{10} 4 p^{3}\)
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