Excitation Potential

The spectral series of hydrogen is basically a series that depicts the various wavelengths of radiation that the energy acquires when the atom emits energy due to the transition of electrons from one state of excitation to another. The excitation potential is a measure of the changes in energy required by electrons to change their states of energy. The excitation potential of hydrogen atoms is the energy required by its electrons to move from their ground state to a higher state. 

Excitation potential of the hydrogen atom

If an electron is accelerated by a potential difference of 1 volt, it acquires energy equal to 1 electron volt or 1eV. So it follows that if an electron is accelerated through a potential difference of 10.2 volts, it will acquire energy equal to 10.2 eV. Now, if this electron with its energy goes and collides with a hydrogen atom in the ground state, it will be able to transfer its energy and the hydrogen atom will gain the energy. This will make the hydrogen atom reach the first excitation potential.

In simpler terms, excitation potential is the amount of energy needed by an electron to leave its ground state and reach the requisite level of excitation without breaking the forces of attraction that bind it to the nucleus. This unusually happens when the electron absorbs a photon and gains the energy of the photon or another electron in a state of excitation collides with the atom, thereby transferring its energy to the electrons of the atom.

The first excitation potential of the hydrogen atom is -3.4-(-13.6) = 10.2eV. 

The ground state of a hydrogen atom has an excitation potential of -13.6eV, and the next level of excitation has an excitation potential of -3.4eV. So the first excitation potential of a hydrogen atom is the difference between the excitation potential of the higher state and the ground state. In other words, to calculate the excitation potential of a level, subtract the excitation potential of the ground state from that of the required level.

Spectral series of a hydrogen atom

The spectral series of hydrogen is the emission spectrum of a hydrogen atom. When an electron moves from a state of higher excitation to a state of lower excitation, it loses energy. This energy is released by the atom in the form of photons. As these are light particles, the spectral emissions of hydrogen have wavelengths. 

The spectral series has several series named after the scientists who first observed the series. The lines observed in the series are because of the electrons jumping from one energy level to another. These emissions happen when an electron goes from a state of higher energy to a state of lower energy. This causes a photon to be released. As the energy of each level is fixed, the change in energy from one level to another is also fixed, and the photon released will have energy equal to the energy difference between the two states.

Bohr had envisioned the structure of an atom as levels of energy surrounding a nucleus. Later with the advent of quantum theory, the orbits were replaced by orbitals. However, as the hydrogen atom has only one electron, it corresponded both with the Bohr model and the quantum states posited by quantum theory. These different levels of energy led to the discovery of the phenomena of electron transfer from one level to another and the fact that the atoms emit photons when electrons fall from a palace of higher energy to lower energy.

Conclusion

The spectral series of hydrogen is used in astronomical spectroscopy to detect the presence of hydrogen. It is an important part of understanding how electrons interact and how energy influences the way an atom behaves. The emission of photons is an important discovery, and quantum theory studies this phenomenon to understand the working of atomic forces. The excitation potential of hydrogen atoms is the energy that is required by an electron to move from its ground state to a state of higher energy.