Question

A hydrogen atom in an excited state can be ionized with less energy than when it is in its ground state. What is n for a hydrogen atom if 0.544 eV of energy can ionize it?

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

It is known that formula for the ionization energy of hydrogen atom is as follows.

E =
`(13.6 eV)/(n^(2))`

or, n =
`\sqrt{(13.6)/(E)}`

The value of energy is given as 0.544 eV. Therefore, we will calculate the value of n as follows.

n =
`\sqrt{(13.6)/(E)}`

=
`\sqrt{(13.6)/(0.544 eV)}`

= 5

Thus, we can conclude that n equals to 5 for a hydrogen atom if 0.544 eV of energy can ionize it.