An Overview on Bohr’s Model

With the input of energy, electrons can be pushed into other orbits, according to Bohr. When the energy is released, the electrons return to their ground state and emit a similar amount of energy—a quantum of light, or photon. This created the foundation for quantum theory, as it is today known. This is a hypothesis that assumes matter and energy have both particle and wave properties. It explains a number of scientific facts, such as the presence of distinct packets of energy and matter, as well as the uncertainty and exclusion principles. 

As per Bohr model, also referred to as a planetary model, electrons ring the nucleus of the atom in exact permitted routes called orbits. The energy of the electron is fixed when it is in one of these orbits. When the electron is in the orbit closest to the nucleus, the hydrogen atom is in its ground state, where its energy is lowest. The energy of the orbits that are further away from the nucleus increase with distance. Any of the spaces between the orbits are forbidden to the electron. The rungs of a ladder are a common analogy for the Bohr model. You can only occupy specific rungs when you walk up or down a ladder, and you cannot be in the spaces between rungs. As you progress up the ladder, your potential energy increases, whereas as you progress down the ladder, your energy declines.

The work of Niels Bohr has had a profound impact on our current understanding of the inner workings of the atom. However, while his model worked well for explaining hydrogen atom emissions, it was severely constrained when applied to other atoms. Several fresh findings were made shortly after Bohr released his planetary model of the atom, resulting in yet another revision of the atom’s outlook.

Limitations of Bohr’s Model

• It was unable to explain the atomic spectra of elements with multiple electrons.
• It couldn’t account for the Zeeman effect, which occurs when spectral lines are broken into closely spaced lines by a magnetic field.
• It was unable to explain the Stark effect, which occurs when spectral lines are divided into fine lines by an electric field.
• The circular orbits of electrons are flat, according to Bohr. However, new research shows that an electron moves in three dimensions around the nucleus. This is based on de Broglie’s theory that light electrons have two personalities.
• It defies Heisenberg’s principle of uncertainty. According to this concept, total confidence in determining the exact position and momentum of a small moving particle such as an electron is unattainable. Electrons, on the other hand, move in a well-defined circular orbit, according to Bohr.
• Shapes and geometry molecules were not explained by Bohr’s model. It failed to anticipate large-sized atoms correctly and only gave enough information for smaller atoms.

Conclusion

Niels Bohr, a physicist, proposed a model of the atom in 1913, which contributed to a better understanding of its structure and quantum mechanics. Atoms are the smallest indivisible structures of matter, and were long thought to be the smallest indivisible structures of matter.

The atom’s concept and vocabulary date back to ancient Greece, and various models have been suggested and modified over time. John Dalton, J.J. Thompson, and Ernest Rutherford are credited with the most renowned.

Each atomic model has added to our understanding of how atoms and subatomic particles behave. The Bohr model was the first to propose quantum energy levels, in which electrons orbit the nucleus at predetermined distances and must overcome an energy barrier to change orbitals. In 1922, Bohr was awarded the Nobel Prize for his research on atomic structure.