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The bond energy of O 2 is 498 kJ/mol. What is the wavelength of the photon that has just enough energy to break the bond in oxygen?

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Final answer:

The wavelength of the photon that has just enough energy to break the bond in oxygen is approximately 399 nm.

Step-by-step explanation:

The bond energy of O2 is the energy required to break the O-O bond in oxygen. The bond energy for O2 is 498 kJ/mol. In order for a photon to break the bond in oxygen, it must have enough energy to overcome the bond energy. The energy of a photon is inversely proportional to its wavelength, so we can use the equation E = hc/λ, where E is the energy of the photon, h is Planck's constant (6.626 x 10-34 J·s), c is the speed of light (3.00 x 108 m/s), and λ is the wavelength of the photon.

First, let's convert the bond energy from kJ/mol to J/molecule by multiplying by 1000:

498 kJ/mol x (1000 J/1 kJ) = 498,000 J/mol

Now, let's use the equation E = hc/λ to solve for the wavelength:

498,000 J/mol = (6.626 x 10-34 J·s)(3.00 x 108 m/s)/λ

Solving for λ:

λ = (6.626 x 10-34 J·s)(3.00 x 108 m/s) / 498,000 J/mol

λ = 3.99 x 10-7 m

Therefore, the wavelength of the photon that has just enough energy to break the bond in oxygen is approximately 399 nm.

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