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Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: customx on May 28, 2010, 03:25:49 AM

Title: How to calculate ionization energy for the Nth level?
Post by: customx on May 28, 2010, 03:25:49 AM

I had this question on a test today but had no idea how to solve it. It didn't help that my teacher only talked about ionization energy for about 2 minutes in class last week. Here is the question:

The energy of an election is (-1312 KJ/mol) / n squared

What is the ionization energy of an electron from the n=3 level?

Title: Re: How to calculate ionization energy for the Nth level?
Post by: sjb on May 28, 2010, 04:06:24 AM

When n is 3, what is the energy? When n is, say, 1000, what is the energy?

Title: Re: How to calculate ionization energy for the Nth level?
Post by: customx on May 28, 2010, 04:51:14 AM

I don't think it's as simple as subbing 3 in for n in the equation. At least I hope it's not that easy

Title: Re: How to calculate ionization energy for the Nth level?
Post by: vickium on May 29, 2010, 03:38:59 PM

It is that simply. The whole idea behind energy levels is the fact that energy is quantized.