Bohr's model of atom Postulates

1. The entire mass and positive charge of an atom is concentrated at the centre
called nucleus.
Electrons revolve around the nucleus in fixed circular paths called orbits.

- Mass
-
+ve

-
2. As long as an electron remains in an orbit, it doesn't lose or gain energy.
3. The permitted orbits are those for which the angular momentum of the
electron is an integral multiple of h/2π.

-
Mvr = 1 x h/2π2 n=1
+ Pns
Ns
Mvr = 2 x h/2π2 n=2

Angular momentum, mvr = n h/2π (n=1, 2, 3....)

m : mass of electron
v : velocity of electron
r : radius of orbit
4. Energy is emitted or absorbed by an atom only when electron moves from one
orbit to another. This energy is equal to the difference in energy between the
two orbits.
emits energy
hv = E2 - E1 = ΔE In the form of
light –(hv)
absorbs energy -
E2 : higher energy level
E2
E1 : lower energy level E1
nucleus

n1
n2

Note : when electron jumps from its normal energy level to higher energy level,
it absorbs energy and when jumps to lower energy level it emits energy.
 Merits of Bohr model
1. Bohr model could explain the stability of an atom.

Excited state emits energy

(unstable) In the form of
light –(hv)
absorbs energy
-
spectrum
N n1
n2 n3
n4 n5

2. Bohr model could explain the atomic spectrum of hydrogen.

3. Bohr model could explain the simultaneous appearance
of a large number of lines in the hydrogen atom.

Lyman series
(UV rays)

N
n1
n3
n2 n5
n4
3. Bohr model could explain the simultaneous appearance of a large number of lines in the
hydrogen atom.

Paschen series Balmer series

(I R)
(visible)

N
n1
n2
n3
n4
n5

Bracket series
(I R) Pfund series
(I R)
4. Bohr model helped in calculating the energy of an electron and the radius of
an electron in a particular orbit.
 Demerits of Bohr's model
1. It does not explain spectra of atoms having more than one electron.

2. It can not explain splitting of spectral lines under the influence of magnetic
field.

3. It can not explain the formation of molecules from atoms.

 Theory Questions
1) Give the main postulates of Bohr’s model of atom. [ March 2010 ]

2) Write any postulate of the Bohr’s model of hydrogen atom.

3) Give the postulates of Bohr model of hydrogen atom. Also write two merits
and two limitations of this model.
[ March 2018 ]

4) Give the names of series of spectral lines of atomic hydrogen and their region
in the electromagnetic spectrum.
 Practical Questions
1) Find the maximum number of emission lines, when the excited electron of
hydrogen atom in n =6, drops to the ground state (n = 1). [ March 2010 ]

Answer
The maximum no. of emission lines = n(n-1)/2
= 6(6-1)/2 = 15.
2) Calculate the wave number of radiation due to transition of an electron from
4th orbit to 2nd orbit [ March 2010 ]

(𝑹𝑯 = 𝟏𝟎𝟗𝟔𝟕𝟕𝒄𝒎−𝟏 )

Answer
For the second line in Balmer series, 𝑛1 = 2 and 𝑛2 = 4
Wave number, ῡ = 1/ λ = 109677 (1/𝑛1 2 -1/𝑛2 2 )

= 109677 (1/22 – 1/ 42 ) = 109677 x 3/16

= 20564.4 𝑐𝑚−1
3) Calculate the radius of the second orbit of Li2+. (Express answer in nm)

Answer
Radius, 𝑟𝑛 = 𝑎0 𝑛2 /𝑧
Here 𝑎0 = 52.9 pm, n=2 and z = 3 (for Li)

So rn = 52.9 x 22 /3
= 70.53 pm
4) Calculate the wave number of the second line in the Balmer series. (Rydberg
constant for Hydrogen is 109677𝑐𝑚−1 )
[ September 2013 ]

Answer
For the second line in Balmer series, 𝑛1 = 2 and 𝑛2 = 4
Wave number, ῡ = 1/ λ = 109677 (1/𝑛1 2 -1/𝑛2 2 )

= 109677 (1/22 – 1/ 42 ) = 109677 x 3/16

= 20564.4 𝑐𝑚−1
5) Calculate the wavelength of the first line in Lyman series of the hydrogen
spectrum (R = 109677 𝑐𝑚−1 )
Answer
For the first line in Balmer series, 𝑛1 = 1 and 𝑛2 = 2
Wave number, ῡ = 1/ λ = 109677 (1/𝑛1 2 -1/𝑛2 2 )
= 109677 (1/12 – 1/ 22 ) = 109677 x 3/4
= 82257.75 𝑐𝑚−1

Wave length (λ) = 1/ ῡ = 1/82257.75

= 1.21 x 10−5 cm = 121 nm