Testing the Validity of the Approach of Using Hydrogen and Helium Emission Spectra with the Rydberg Equation to Determine the Ionization Energy of Helium
Michelle Plavnik
Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, United States
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this lab is to determine how accurate the Rydberg equation is at modeling helium transitions and finding the ionization energy from those transitions. To accomplish this aim, the spectra of hydrogen and helium were taken. According to the accurate predictions for hydrogen line frequencies and corresponding known transitions from the Rydberg equation, ratios were found for hydrogen transitions, and matching ratios for helium frequencies were assigned to transitions. …show more content…
If an atom has multiple electrons, the first ionization energy is the amount of energy it takes to remove the first electron, the second ionization energy is the amount of energy it takes to remove a second electron, and so on. The aim of this lab is to find the ionization energy of helium. Theoretically, this could be done by summing up the energies of all the transitions of the electron in the helium atom, up to the energy level of n=?. Because this can not be done, this lab will use an equation, the Rydberg equation, to accomplish the same …show more content…
Results The predicted hydrogen transition frequencies were calculated using the Rydberg equation in the prelab. The frequencies shown are those that are visible to the human eye. The observed frequencies were similar in value to the predicted frequencies, and were found by using the predicted frequency as a estimate of where to scan in the spectrum. The calibrated frequencies are the theoretical frequencies of the transitions if they followed the equation of the best fit line of the observed and predicted frequencies. This information is shown in Tables 1 and 2 and Figures 3 and 4
Michelle Plavnik
Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, United States
PAGE 2
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this lab is to determine how accurate the Rydberg equation is at modeling helium transitions and finding the ionization energy from those transitions. To accomplish this aim, the spectra of hydrogen and helium were taken. According to the accurate predictions for hydrogen line frequencies and corresponding known transitions from the Rydberg equation, ratios were found for hydrogen transitions, and matching ratios for helium frequencies were assigned to transitions. …show more content…
If an atom has multiple electrons, the first ionization energy is the amount of energy it takes to remove the first electron, the second ionization energy is the amount of energy it takes to remove a second electron, and so on. The aim of this lab is to find the ionization energy of helium. Theoretically, this could be done by summing up the energies of all the transitions of the electron in the helium atom, up to the energy level of n=?. Because this can not be done, this lab will use an equation, the Rydberg equation, to accomplish the same …show more content…
Results The predicted hydrogen transition frequencies were calculated using the Rydberg equation in the prelab. The frequencies shown are those that are visible to the human eye. The observed frequencies were similar in value to the predicted frequencies, and were found by using the predicted frequency as a estimate of where to scan in the spectrum. The calibrated frequencies are the theoretical frequencies of the transitions if they followed the equation of the best fit line of the observed and predicted frequencies. This information is shown in Tables 1 and 2 and Figures 3 and 4