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What are ground and excited states?

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Anonymous

12y ago
Updated: 8/20/2019

In an atom, the electron or electrons have a certain normal distance from the atomic nucleus, and when they are at the normal distance, that is described as the ground state. If energy is added to an electron it will move further from the nucleus, or depending upon the amount of energy, may leave the atom entirely. If it moves further from the nucleus it is in an excited state. If it leaves the atom it is ionized.

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12y ago

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Energy gap between the excited and ground states for the sodium ion?

The energy gap between the excited and ground states for the sodium ion is about 2.1 electron volts (eV). This energy difference corresponds to the energy required to excite an electron from the ground state to the excited state in a sodium ion.


Is the electron configuration of sodium an excited state or ground state?

The electron configuration of sodium in its ground state is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1. This is not an excited state configuration, as the electrons are in their lowest energy levels available in the atom. Excited states occur when electrons are in higher energy levels than the ground state configuration.


Do atoms in the excited state have more electrons than in the ground state?

Yes, because an atom in an excited state will normally give off energy and go to a less-excited state or to its ground state. Some atoms have long-lived excited states and are called "metastable".


In which state does the electron possess more energy?

An electron possesses more energy in the excited state than the ground state.


How or where is gamma radiation formed?

In the atomic nucleus as protons and/or neutrons fall from excited states towards their ground state.


What is the opposite of ground state?

Excited state is the opposite of ground state in the context of atoms and molecules. Ground state refers to the lowest energy state of an atom or molecule, while excited states have higher energy levels due to the absorption of energy.


What radioactive decay processes have no transmutation?

Only gamma, it is the process by which a metastable excited nuclear isomer of an isotope relaxes down to the ground state of the same isotope. Some metastable states must undergo multiple gamma decays through less excited metastable states to reach the ground state.


Do atoms in excited states emit radiation randomly at any wavelength?

No, atoms in excited states emit radiation at specific wavelengths, corresponding to the energy difference between the excited state and the ground state. This emission occurs randomly when the atom returns to a lower energy state by releasing a photon.


Why An electron in an atom has several excited states but only one ground state?

An electron in an atom has several excited states because it can occupy various higher energy levels when it absorbs energy, allowing for multiple configurations of energy distribution. In contrast, the ground state represents the lowest energy configuration of the electron, where it is most stable and all energy levels are filled according to the principles of quantum mechanics. This stability and uniqueness of the ground state arise from the specific arrangement of electrons that minimizes the atom's energy. Hence, while multiple excited states can exist, there is only one ground state.


What has a higher energy ground state or excited state?

ground


Why do elements go from ground state to excited state?

Elements go from the ground state to the excited state if some form of energy is supplied. Otherwise, they stay in the ground state.


A pigment absorbs a photon only if the energy of the photon is?

greater than or equal to the energy gap between its ground and excited states.