Question

what is the wavelength of a photon that could just barely ionize a hydrogen atom with its electron in the ground state?

Answer 1

91.127 nm

Step-by-step explanation:

`(1)/(\lambda)=R((1)/(n_1^2)-(1)/(n_2^2))`

Where, R is the Rydberg's constant 10973731.6 m⁻¹.

Electron is in ground state, n₁ = 1

For hydrogen to barely ionize, n₂ = ∞

Substitute the values:

`(1)/(\lambda)=10973731.6 m^(-1)(1-0) \Rightarrow \lambda = 91.127 nm`