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Chemistry library

Lesson 4: Spectroscopy

Electronic transitions in spectroscopy

An electron in a lithium atom transitions from a

3 p

orbital to a

2 s

orbital. The difference in energy between the two states is

6.14 \times 10^{- 19} J

Which of the following best describes how the energy of the lithium atom is affected by the electronic transition?

(Choice A)
The energy of the lithium atom increases by $6.14 \times 10^{- 19} J$ ‍.
(Choice B)
The energy of the lithium atom decreases by $6.14 \times 10^{- 19} J$ ‍.
(Choice C)
The energy of the lithium atom stays the same.
(Choice D)
It cannot be determined how the energy of the lithium atom is affected without knowing the energy of the photon involved.

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