The ground state energy of H-atom is 13.6 eV. The energy needed to lonize H-atom from its second excited state is:

Correct answer: A. 1.51 eV

  • A. 1.51 eV
  • B. 3.4 eV
  • C. 13.6 eV
  • D. 12.1 eV

Explanation

The energy required to ionize a hydrogen atom from a given state is the difference between the energy of that state and the energy of the ionized state (0 eV). The ground state energy of hydrogen is -13.6 eV. The energy of the second excited state (n=3) is given by the formula E = -13.6/n² eV, which results in an energy of -1.51 eV. Therefore, the energy required to ionize the hydrogen atom from the second excited state is 1.51 eV. Options B, C, and D do not correctly describe the energy required from the second excited state.

This question appeared on the ETEA MDCAT 2016 paper, which you can sit online with every answer explained.

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