What is quantum mechanical model of atom ? What is Schrödinger Equation ? Relation between hydrogen atom and the schrödinger equation ? | Inorganic chemistry | Chemistry.

           Inorganic chemistry | Chemistry


What is quantum mechanical model of atom ? What is Schrödinger Equation ? Relation between hydrogen atom and the schrödinger equation ? | Inorganic chemistry | Chemistry.


WHAT IS QUANTUM MECHANICAL MODEL OF ATOM ?

         Classical mechanics, based on Newton’s laws of motion, successfully describes the motion of all macroscopic objects such as a falling stone, orbiting planets etc., which have essentially a particle-like behaviour as shown in the previous section. However it fails when applied to microscopic objects like electrons, atoms, molecules etc. This is mainly because of the fact that classical mechanics ignores the concept of dual behaviour of matter especially for sub-atomic particles and the uncertainty principle. The branch of science that takes into account this dual behaviour of matter is called quantum mechanics.

          Quantum mechanics is a theoretical science that deals with the study of the motions of the microscopic objects that have both observable wave like and particle like properties. It specifies the laws of motion that these objects obey. When quantum mechanics is applied to macroscopic objects (for which wave like properties are insignificant) the results are the same as those from the classical mechanics. 

          Quantum mechanics was developed independently in 1926 by Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger. Here, however, we shall be discussing the quantum mechanics which is based on the ideas of wave motion. The fundamental equation of quantum mechanics was developed by Schrödinger and it won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933. This equation which incorporates waveparticle duality of matter as proposed by de Broglie is quite complex and knowledge of higher mathematics is needed to solve it. You will learn its solutions for different systems in higher classes.

            For a system (such as an atom or a molecule whose energy does not change with time) the Schrödinger equation is written as Hψ=Eψ where H is a mathematical operator called Hamiltonian. Schrödinger gave a recipe of constructing this operator from the expression for the total energy of the system. The total energy of the system takes into account the kinetic energies of all the subatomic particles (electrons, nuclei), attractive potential between the electrons and nuclei and repulsive potential among the electrons and nuclei individually. Solution of this equation gives E and ψ.

Hydrogen Atom and the Schrödinger Equation

            When Schrödinger equation is solved for hydrogen atom, the solution gives the possible energy levels the electron can occupy and the corresponding wave function(s) (ψ) of the electron associated with each energy level. These quantized energy states and corresponding wave functions which are characterized by a set of three quantum numbers (principal quantum number n, azimuthal quantum number l and magnetic quantum number ml) arise as a natural consequence in the solution of the Schrödinger equation. When an electron is in any energy state, the wave function corresponding to that energy state contains all information about the electron. The wave function is a mathematical function whose value depends upon the coordinates of the electron in the atom and does not carry any physical meaning. Such wave functions of hydrogen or hydrogen like species with one electron are called atomic orbitals. Such wave functions pertaining to one-electron species are called one-electron systems. The probability of finding an electron at a point within an atom is proportional to the |ψ|2 at that point. The quantum mechanical results of the hydrogen atom successfully predict all aspects of the hydrogen atom spectrum including some phenomena that could not be explained by the Bohr model.   

           Application of Schrödinger equation to multi-electron atoms presents a difficulty: the Schrödinger equation cannot be solved exactly for a multi-electron atom. This difficulty can be overcome by using approximate methods. Such calculations with the aid of modern computers show that orbitals in atoms other than hydrogen do not differ in any radical way from the hydrogen orbitals discussed above. The principal difference lies in the consequence of increased nuclear charge. Because of this all the orbitals are somewhat contracted. Further, as you shall see later (in subsections 2.6.3 and 2.6.4), unlike orbitals of hydrogen or hydrogen like species, whose energies depend only on the quantum number n, the energies of the orbitals in multi-electron atoms depend on quantum numbers n and l. 

Important Features of the Quantum Mechanical Model of Atom

          Quantum mechanical model of atom is the picture of the structure of the atom, which emerges from the application of the Schrödinger equation to atoms. The following are the important features of the quantum-mechanical model of atom: 

        1. The energy of electrons in atoms is quantized (i.e., can only have certain specific values), for example when electrons are bound to the nucleus in atoms.

       2. The existence of quantized electronic energy levels is a direct result of the wave like properties of electrons and are allowed solutions of Schrödinger wave equation.

       3. Both the exact position and exact velocity of an electron in an atom cannot be determined simultaneously (Heisenberg uncertainty principle). The path of an electron in an atom therefore, can never be determined or known accurately. That is why, as you shall see later on, one talks of only probability of finding the electron at different points in an atom.

       4. An atomic orbital is the wave function ψ for an electron in an atom. Whenever an electron is described by a wave function, we say that the electron occupies that orbital. Since many such wave functions are possible for an electron, there are many atomic orbitals in an atom. These “one electron orbital wave functions” or orbitals form the basis of the electronic structure of atoms. In each orbital, the electron has a definite energy. An orbital cannot contain more than two electrons. In a multi-electron atom, the electrons are filled in various orbitals in the order of increasing energy. For each electron of a multi-electron atom, there shall, therefore, be an orbital wave function characteristic of the orbital it occupies. All the information about the electron in an atom is stored in its orbital wave function ψ and quantum mechanics makes it possible to extract this information out of ψ.

       5. The probability of finding an electron at a point within an atom is proportional to the square of the orbital wave function i.e., |ψ|2 at that point. |ψ|2 is known as probability density and is always positive. From the value of |ψ|2 at different points within an atom, it is possible to predict the region around the nucleus where electron will most probably be found.



What is quantum mechanical model of atom ? What is Schrödinger Equation ? Relation between hydrogen atom and the schrödinger equation ? | Inorganic chemistry | Chemistry.

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