What are Energy Levels?
This post will introduce the concept of discrete energy levels in atoms for Prelim Chemistry
Topic: Atomic Structure and Atomic Mass
- Model the atom’s discrete energy levels, including electronic configuration and spdf notation
How Did the Current Atomic Model Come to Be?
The idea of an atom has taken on many forms throughout time, this video will take you through some of the main forms.
(Note, this video does not cover the current Schrodinger Model which will be relevant in the next post when we cover spdf notation).
Introducing Energy Levels
Energy levels are discrete levels of energy in which electrons reside, this video will explore more about energy levels and also introduce electron configuration.
Atoms have discrete energy levels because the electrons in an atom can only occupy certain, specific energy levels or orbitals. These energy levels are determined by the arrangement of the electrons in the atom, which is referred to as the electronic configuration.
The electronic configuration of an atom is determined by the number of protons in the nucleus and the number of electrons orbiting the nucleus. Each energy level or orbital can hold a specific number of electrons, and the distribution of electrons among the energy levels follows certain rules.
One way to represent the electronic configuration of an atom is using spdf notation. This notation assigns a letter (s, p, d, or f) to each energy level, with s orbitals being the lowest energy and f orbitals being the highest. The letter corresponds to the shape of the orbital and the type of electron distribution it can accommodate.
For example, the first energy level (the one closest to the nucleus) can hold a maximum of two electrons and is represented by the letter s. The second energy level can hold up to eight electrons and is represented by the letters s and p. The third energy level can hold up to 18 electrons and is represented by the letters s, p, and d.
In summary, atoms have discrete energy levels because the electrons in an atom are confined to specific orbitals and cannot occupy any energy level they want. The electronic configuration of an atom determines the distribution of electrons among these energy levels, which can be represented using spdf notation.
