During Class Invention
Question: How are electrons ‘arranged’ in an atom?
1. Describe the nature of the interaction between protons and electrons in an
atom? Consider using some or all of the following terms in your description:
attraction, repulsion, neutral, positive, negative, charge, distance, nucleus,
force, energy, Coulomb’s Law.
2. Compare the relative energy necessary to separate positive and negative
electrical charges in the following situations? Compare a and b, then compare
a and c.
3. Consider
a) how many electrons do you see in the picture? How many protons?
b) which of these electrons is the easiest (requires the least amount of energy)
to remove (ionize)?
c) Explain your response in b.
d) compare the energy from 3b with the energy in 2a and then in 2c.
6/26/13 : John Gelder 1 Draft Version
The first ionization energy is defined as the minimum energy that must be
added to a neutral atom, in the gas phase, to remove an electron from an atom.
This definition can be represented in the following chemical equation;
+ –
energy + A(g) → A (g) + 1e
+
4. In the ionization equation above, which is at lower energy? A(g) or A (g) and
– + –
1e ? Which is at higher energy? A(g) or A (g) and 1e ? Explain.
5. Explain why energy is required (an endothermic process) to remove the
electron in a neutral atom.
6. The value of the first ionization energy for hydrogen is 1312 kJ mol-1. In the
graph below use a short horizontal line to indicate the energy of H(g)
+ –
(reactant) and a short horizontal line to indicate the energy of H (g) + 1e
(product). (NOTE: Be sure to consider your responses to Q4 and Q5 above.)
6/26/13 : John Gelder 2 Draft Version
Figure I.
7. What does the difference in energy in the lines in your diagram above
represent?
8. The values for the first ionization energy for a hydrogen and helium atom are
provided in the table below.
Atom H He Li
Ionization Energy (kJ mol-1) 1312 2373
6/26/13 : John Gelder 3 Draft Version
Based on comparisons you made in Question 2 how would you explain the
difference in the values for the first ionization energy for hydrogen and helium? How
does your explanation account for the relative charge on hydrogen and helium and the
Q1·Q2
distance of the electron(s) from the nucleus. (NOTE: Coulomb’s Law is E α )
d
In the energy diagram below locate (draw a horizontal line) the first ionization
energy for hydrogen and the first ionization energy for helium.
Figure II.
9. How does your diagram illustrate the relative ease with which an electron can
be removed from hydrogen and from helium.
10. Predict a value for the first ionization energy for lithium. Do not add your
prediction to Figure II. just yet. Justify your prediction based on Question 2.
6/26/13 : John Gelder 4 Draft Version
The value of the first ionization energy of lithium is 520 kJ mol-1. Add this
value for lithium to Figure II above. Based on comparisons you made in
Question 2 how would you explain the ionization energy for lithium compared
to the ionization energy for helium? Compared to hydrogen?
11. Predict the relative value of the energy necessary to remove a second electron
(called the second ionization energy) from lithium. Support your prediction
with an explanation.
Based on the first ionization energies for hydrogen, helium and lithium that you
represented in Figure II. What can you say about the distance of the electrons from their
respective nucleus in these three atoms.
6/26/13 : John Gelder 5 Draft Version
12. The first ionization energies for selected elements from the second period of
the periodic table follows;
Atom 3Li 4Be 6C 7N 9F 10Ne
Ionization Energy (kJ mol-1) 520 899 1086 1302 1681 2081
Explain the trend in ionization energies in terms of the charge of the nucleus and
the relative location of the electrons.
6/26/13 : John Gelder 6 Draft Version
13. The first ionization energy for the element sodium is given in the following
table. Predict the other values for the first ionization energy for the selected
third period elements;
Atom 11Na 12Mg 14Si 15P 17Cl 18Ar
Ionization Energy (kJ mol-1) 495
How did you arrive at your predictions?
14. Below is a table (Table I) that contains the ionization energy for each of the
18 electrons in an argon atom. The graph of this data is shown in Figure III.
Electro Energies
for
the
n
Electron
Electrons
in
Argon
Remov Energy
ed
(kJ
mol-‐1)
0
1st
-‐1520.6
-‐50000
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Electron
Energy
(KJ
mol-‐1)
2nd
-‐2665.8
-‐100000
3rd
-‐3931
-‐150000
4th
-‐5771
5th
-‐7238
-‐200000
6th
-‐8781
-‐250000
7th
-‐11995
-‐300000
8th
-‐13842
-‐350000
9th
-‐40760
-‐400000
10th
-‐46186
11th
-‐52002
-‐450000
Electron
Removed
12th
-‐59653
13th
-‐66198
14th
-‐72918
15th
-‐82472
16th
-‐88576
17th
-‐397604
18th
-‐427065
a) Interpret the graph shown in Figure III.
6/26/13 : John Gelder 7 Draft Version
b) Based on your responses from the previous questions how many ‘groups’
(levels or shells) of electrons are shown for Argon in Figure III?
c) Indicate the number of electrons in each group/level that you identified?
d) On the graph in Figure IV draw a horizontal line (to the right of the y-axis)
that represents an average energy level for each of the groups of electrons that you
identified. Label the levels 1, 2, 3, …. beginning from the lowest energy level. What do
these lines represent?
d) How would you describe the relative energy separation of these energy levels?
Figure IV
e) An electron from which level requires the least amount of energy to remove?
The largest amount of energy to remove?
6/26/13 : John Gelder 8 Draft Version
15. Describe the electron structure (location of the electron) of the atom. Consider
using some or all of the following terms in your description; nucleus, electron,
energy, distance, level, proton, shell, arrangement, attraction, repulsion,
positive, negative, charge, location.
6/26/13 : John Gelder 9 Draft Version
[Link]
Important conclusions:
The shell model has the shells getting further from the nucleus;
Larger size can accommodate more electrons;
As electrons get further from the nucleus less energy is required to remove the
electron from the atom;
As electrons are closer to the nucleus it requires more energy to remove the
electron;
Going across a period the general trend is for the first ionization energy to
increase. For elements with outer electrons in the same shell the ionization energy
increases with increasing atomic number (number of protons). However, note there
are two exceptions to this explanation;
Going down a group the general trend is for the first ionization energy to decrease
because the electron removed is coming from a shell that is further from the nucleus,
and therefore requires less energy to remove.
Experimental determination of ionization energies are determined using mass
spectrometers. The ionization of the neutral atom is brought about by an electron
beam.
When discussing ionization energy: what electron are you removing.
Rule of thumb: the shell value is the most important factor, number of protons is next,
and finally on the number of electrons.
We are not trying to invent Coulomb’s law in this activity, we assume students have
an idea of what Coulomb’s law. In Q2 we are not expecting students to know that
charge is more important (term in CL) than distance.
The data say that charge is more important when the electrons are in the same n
value.
Comparisons of the type provided in Q2 are the only comparison we see when
looking at first ionization energies of elements. We are always comparing the FIE of
one atom to another and trying to explain in terms of charge arguments, or in terms of
distance arguments why one element’s FIE is higher or lower then the other element’s
FIE.
Note: develop the energy level diagram as we go through the activity. If it takes 1312 kJ
of energy to remove an electron from the hydrogen atom that must mean the electron is in
a well at -1312 kJ of energy. After inventing shells use spectroscopy data to support
transitions between shells, than do PES to add subshells in the energy levels.
6/26/13 : John Gelder 10 Draft Version