Major assumptions made by Bohr

Thread starter dswatson
Start date Oct 30, 2008
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Assumptions Bohr Major

In summary, Bohr's atomic model was based on five major assumptions: electrons orbit the nucleus in fixed circular paths called energy levels, they can only exist in these levels and not in between, they do not lose energy while orbiting, they can jump between levels by absorbing or emitting specific amounts of energy, and the energy levels get closer together as they move away from the nucleus. This model contributed to the development of quantum mechanics by introducing the concept of quantization, but it had limitations such as only accurately describing single-electron systems and not explaining the fine structure of spectral lines or electron spin.

Oct 30, 2008

dswatson

What are the major assumptions made by Bohr to explain atomic spectra from hydrogen?

I had this on a test last week and was just wanting to know the answers. I was not required to answer it but am worried I will see it again. I looked through the book and can't find anything that is concrete. thank you in advance

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Oct 30, 2008

hage567

Homework Helper

Have you tried looking it up elsewhere? You could start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohr_model

1. What are the major assumptions made by Bohr in his atomic model?

Bohr's atomic model was based on five major assumptions. The first assumption was that electrons orbit the nucleus in circular paths at fixed distances, called energy levels. The second assumption was that electrons can only exist in these energy levels, and cannot exist in between them. The third assumption was that electrons do not lose energy while orbiting the nucleus. The fourth assumption was that electrons can jump from one energy level to another, but only by absorbing or emitting a specific amount of energy. Lastly, Bohr assumed that the energy levels get closer and closer together as they get farther from the nucleus.

2. Why did Bohr's atomic model include fixed energy levels?

Bohr's atomic model included fixed energy levels because he believed that electrons could only exist in certain stable orbits around the nucleus. These energy levels correspond to specific amounts of energy that electrons can possess. Electrons can jump from one energy level to another when they absorb or emit energy, but they cannot exist in between energy levels.

3. Did Bohr's atomic model accurately describe the behavior of electrons?

Bohr's atomic model was a major breakthrough in understanding the behavior of electrons in atoms. It was able to explain the spectral lines of hydrogen atoms and provided a more accurate description of the structure of atoms compared to the previous model by Rutherford. However, it was later found to be incomplete and was replaced by the quantum mechanical model, which provides a more accurate description of the behavior of electrons.

4. How did Bohr's atomic model contribute to the development of quantum mechanics?

Bohr's atomic model was a key stepping stone in the development of quantum mechanics. It introduced the concept of quantization, which states that energy is not continuous but is instead "quantized" into specific levels. This concept helped pave the way for the quantum mechanical model, which takes into account the wave-like nature of electrons and provides a more accurate description of their behavior.

5. What limitations were later found in Bohr's atomic model?

Although Bohr's atomic model was a significant advancement, it had several limitations. It only accurately described the behavior of single-electron systems such as hydrogen atoms, and it did not explain the behavior of atoms with more than one electron. It also failed to explain the fine structure of spectral lines and the phenomenon of electron spin. These limitations were addressed in the development of the quantum mechanical model.