Why did Bohr's model work for 1 electron systems?

[mahrap]

If I am not mistaken the Bohr model had 3 main problems: the assumption that the electron moves in fixed orbits, the angular momentum assumption's violation of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, and finally the restriction of the validity of the model for only 1-electron systems ( i.e. hydrogen, He +1, ect ). Why was it that Bohr's model only worked for 1-electron systems and failed when applied to poly-electron systems? Please be as thorough as possible. Thank you for all your help.

 

[chill_factor]

nothing stops multiple electrons from being in the same quantum state.

 

[Borek]

nothing stops multiple electrons from being in the same quantum state.

Nothing but Pauli exclusion principle?

 

[Borek]

failed when applied to poly-electron systems?

What happens when you put two negatively charged object close to each other?

 

[chill_factor]

Nothing but Pauli exclusion principle?

that is not part of the Bohr theory =)

 

[bossman27]

Why was it that Bohr's model only worked for 1-electron systems and failed when applied to poly-electron systems?

As Borek has already alluded to, the answer is that systems with more than one electron have a much more complicated charge interaction.

As an interesting side note, the context of Bohr's work is misrepresented when it's taught at schools. At the time he published his model (1913) there was no concept of a de Broglie wavelength. The idea of electron orbits as standing waves wasn't introduced until de Broglie published his thesis in 1924.

 

[DrDu]

It does not even work for all one electron systems e.g. H2+.

 

[dextercioby]

Arnold Sommerfeld cured two shortcomings: the plane motion was generalized to elliptic orbits and moreover in agreement with the specially relativistic dynamics.