Major Points*Energy travels through space by electromagnet radiation ("light"), which can be characterized by the wavelength and frequency of the waves. Light can also be thought of as packets of energy called photons. Atoms can gain energy by absorbing a photon and can lose energy by emitting a photon.
*The emissions of energy from hydrogen atoms produce only certain energies as hydrogen changes from a higher to a lower energy. This shows that the energy levels of hydrogen are quantized. *The Bohr model of the hydrogen atom postulated that the electron moved in circular orbits corresponding to the various allowed energy levels. Though it worked well for hydrogen, the Bohr model did not work for other atoms. *The wave mechanical model explains atoms by postulating that the electron has both wave and particle characteristics. Electron states are described by orbitals, which are probability maps indicating how likely it is to find the electron at a given point in space. *An atomic orbital can hold a maximum of 2 electrons. |