Final answer:
The energy change when a neutral atom loses an electron is related to ionization energy, the minimum energy required to create a cation. When an electron transitions to a lower energy state or is captured, photons are emitted, with their energy calculated using the change in electron energies. The ionization energy is specific to each element, with hydrogen's ionization energy being 13.6 eV.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ionization Energy and Electron Transitions
The energy absorbed or released when a neutral atom loses one electron is related to the concept of ionization energy. This is the minimum amount of energy required to remove the outermost electron from an atom in its ground state, converting it into a positively charged ion, or cation.
For a given atom, if an electron is completely removed, it leaves behind a cation which has a net positive charge due to the loss of the negative charge associated with the electron. This atom will exert a strong attraction on any free electrons and may capture one or more to return to a neutral state or become one less positive. During the capture, or transition of electrons to lower energy states, the atom emits photons. The energy of these photons is determined by the equation ΔE = hf = E₁ - Ef, where ΔE represents the change in energy, hf the energy of the photon emitted, and E₁ and Ef the initial and final energy states of the electron.
The ionization energy can be visualized as the energy required for an electron to escape its attraction to the nucleus, akin to climbing out of a potential well. An example of this is hydrogen, which has an ionization energy of 13.6 eV. Providing more energy than the ionization energy leads to the electron being removed with some additional kinetic energy.