Atoms and the

Periodic Table
4 Properties of a
wave:
1. Wavelength-
distance
between similar
points on a wave
2. Frequency- how
many crests pass
a point in one
second
3. Speed- how fast
a wave passes
through a
medium
4. Amplitude-
height of a wave
Hydrogen line spectrum
Instead of emitting a
rainbow of colors when
heated, hydrogen emits
only certain frequencies
of color. Therefore,
light cannot be acting as
a wave- it must be
acting as a particle.
Hydrogen line spectrum
In fact, other
elements
were shown
to follow the
same process.
Excited state
Ground state
Energy
must be
gained
to get to
excited
state
When electrons return to
ground state, they give off
energy in the form of
light.
1. Electrons
must be
located at
specific
energy levels
inside of the
atom (orbits)
2. Electrons
cannot be in
the spaces in
between (too
high in
energy)

3. Electrons can move to a higher energy level if they gain enough energy.
They can move to a lower energy level if they lose the energy.

4. The energy is given off in the form of a photon.

5. Each energy level increases in size going away from the nucleus. They can
also hold more electrons (2n
2
). First holds 2, second 8, etc.
Nucleus
Electron cloud
First energy level only. This
would be followed by
empty space and another
area of high density.
Excited state
Ground state
Energy
must be
gained
to get to
excited
state
When electrons return to ground state, they
give off energy in the form of light. Sublevel
can account for all the different shades we
see.
Sublevels- electrons gain
different amounts of energy
and have more choices of
energy locations inside of an
atom
Quantum numbers
Principal- (n) main energy level
Azimuthal- () sublevel
s, p, d, f
Magnetic- (m
l
) orientation in 3D space
s has 1 orientation (spherical), p has 3, d has 5, f has 7
Spin- (m
s
) how the electron is turning inside the
orientation
+1/2 clockwise, -1/2 counterclockwise
Quantum numbers

Electron Configurations
Each s
holds a
maximum
of 2
Each p
holds a
maximum
of 6
Each d
holds a
maximum
of 10
Each f
holds a
maximum
of 14
Shorthand configurations
Dot diagrams
X X X X X X X X X
Orbital diagrams