CHEM101: General Chemistry I

2.3: Atomic Theories

• 2.3.1: Foundations of Atomic Theory

  • Stephen Lower's "General Chemistry Virtual Textbook: Quanta: A New View of the World"

    Read this webpage. This material explains how classical physics was modified, leading to the development of quantum theory. The term quantum refers to the observation that energy is a system that can only exist in discrete, or distinct, levels.
    

• 2.3.2: Wave-Particle Duality of Light

  • Stephen Lower's "General Chemistry Virtual Textbook: Light, Particles and Waves"

    Read this webpage. This material describes why light can be classified as both a wave and a particle.
    

• 2.3.3: Bohr Model

  • Stephen Lower's "General Chemistry Virtual Textbook: The Bohr Atom"

    Read this webpage. The Bohr model of the atom introduces orbitals and explains the observation of atomic line spectra. Orbitals are regions of space where electrons orbiting the nucleus of an atom can reside. Atomic line spectra is electromagnetic radiation, or light energy, associated with electron redistribution among pairs of orbitals.
    

• 2.3.4: Quantum-Mechanical Model

  • Stephen Lower's "General Chemistry Virtual Textbook: The Quantum Atom"

    Read this webpage. This material describes the quantum model of the atom, which differs slightly from the Bohr model, mainly in how each explains electron behavior. Do not get them confused! Many of the fundamental concepts of modern physics grew out of these models, so much of the material may be reminiscent of a physics course.
    

  • Khan Academy: "Orbitals" Page

    Watch this lecture to reinforce the concepts covered in the reading assignment.