Determining an Experimental Value of the Rydberg Constant

Using Grating Spectrometry

Jaymar B. Soriano, Margaret Honrado, Mervin Osma, and Ramses Russel Sol
National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines, Diliman
jbsoriano@gmail.com

Abstract
The group has performed a grating angular momentum of the electron takes integral
spectrometry on the Hydrogen spectrum tube, which multiples of h, thus:
dealt with computing the experimental wavelengths, mvr = nh ; n = 1, 2, 3,… (4)
λ of the emission lines of hydrogen by employing the By manipulating equations (2) and (4), a series of
grating equation dsinθ=λ.. With the calculated allowed values of the radius r is determined as:
wavelengths, the Balmer emission line series was
4πε 0 h 2 2
used to fit the relationship between 1/λ and 1/n2, rn = 2
n = a0 n 2 (5)
where n is the principal quantum number. This me
relationship is given by the equation 1/λ = -1.21/ n2 where ao=0.0529nm is the Bohr radius after
nm-1+0.0029 nm-1. The slope of the equation substituting the values of the mass of the electron m,
determines the experimental value of the Rydberg the Planck’s constant h, and the elementary charge e,
constant equal to 1.21x107/m acquiring 10% percent and n is a positive integer. With this obtained
deviation compared with the accepted value of expression for rn, it is being substituted to equation
1.097x107/m. (3) to give:
− me 41 − 13.6
1. Introduction En = 22
= (6)
The Hydrogen atom, like all atoms, is an electron
2
32π ε 0 h n n2 2

trap [1]. It consists of a single electron of charge –e,
which is bound to its central nucleus, a single proton
of charge +e, by the attractive Coulomb force that
acts between them. The single electron is confined to
a region of space. From the confinement principle,
the electron is expected to exist only in a discrete set
of quantum states, each with certain energy.
The potential energy U for the two-particle system
of a hydrogen atom, which is just the Coulomb
potential energy, can be written as:
−1 e2
U= (1)
4πε 0 r
With the Coulomb force that provides the centripetal
motion of the electron, the kinetic energy of the
electron is determined to be:
1 2 1 e2
K= mv = (2)
2 8πε 0 r
The total energy of the system is thus:
−1 e2
E = K +U = (3)
8πε 0 r
To circumvent the idea that the orbiting electron
continually radiates electromagnetic (EM) energy
resulting to the collapse of the hydrogen atom, Neils
Bohr postulates “stationary states” in which electrons
would not radiate EM energy, states in which the
The electron in a hydrogen atom tends to be in the
lowest energy level [2]. It can make a quantum jump
to a higher level at greater energy only if it is given
the required energy to reach the higher level. This is
done either through photon absorption or photon
emission, which occur only if the absorbed or emitted
photon energy is equal to the energy difference
between the electrons initial and final energy level,
En1 and En2 respectively, so that:
hc
En1 - En2 = hν = (7)
λ
Equation (6) is being substituted to (7) and
consequently, we are left to the following equation:
1 R R
=- 2
+ 2
(8)
λ n1 n2
where λ is the wavelength of the absorbed or emitted
photon and R is the Rydberg constant of
proportionality.
In the grating spectrometry experiment, the
hydrogen spectrum tube contains one or more
elements as gaseous atoms or molecules. Energy is
supplied through an electric field applied between
electrodes at the end of the tubes. Ions and electrons
formed by the field are accelerated, and collisions
convert the increased kinetic energy to other types.
Due to collision ionization, molecular H2 is converted
to atomic hydrogen in the spectral tube. Electrons
from the H atoms are exited to higher energy levels
through collisions with the other electrons.
Electrons in energetic or excited atoms occupy
one of many well-defined states. An electron with
high energy makes a quantum jump to a lower energy
state simultaneously emitting a photon corresponding
to the energy difference between the final and initial
energy states as said earlier.
The grating spectrometry uses a transmission
grating which diffracts the light from the hydrogen
spectrum tube into hydrogen emission lines [3]. The
wavelength λ of each emission line is determined
using the grating equation:
m λ = d sinθ (9)
where m is the order of the spectrum, d is the grating Figure 1. The grating Spectrophotometry set-up
size, and θ is the diffraction angle. used in the experiment
Johannes Balmer noticed that the wavelengths of
the group of emission lines of the hydrogen in the The results of the experiment are then being
visible region could be very accurately fitted by the analyzed using the idea of the Balmer series of
formula: emission lines. The details are presented in the next
1 R R section.
=- + (10)
λ n 4 3. Results and Discussions
which is clearly just equation (8) with n2=2 and n1=n The experiment tries to find out the underlying
is the excited energy level, or principal quantum relationship between the reciprocal of the
number, of the electron in the hydrogen atom. That wavelengths of emission lines 1/λ and the reciprocal
is, the quantum jump made by electrons always end of the square of the principal quantum number 1/n2.
to the n=2 energy level. For the objective of the experiment, the diffraction
This grating spectrometry experiment aims to angles for each of the emission line of the Hydrogen
verify the relationship that exists between 1/λ and are being noted. The grating equation for the
1/n2 by calculating an experimental value of the experiment (11) is used to determine an experimental
Rydberg constant R. value of the wavelength of the emission lines.
A methodology of the experiment and a
discussion of the results follow. A conclusion will be Table 1. The experimental wavelengths compared
made hereinafter. with the theoretical
spectrum λexp nm λtheo nm % diff
2. Methodology red 651 656.3 0.76%
Aided with a spectrophotometer and a grating of blue 473 486.1 2.67%
600 lines/mm mounted on the spectrometer (see
green 417 434.1 3.92%
Figure 1), the revealed series of sharp emission lines
of the hydrogen spectrum tube is being analyzed. The
After the experimental wavelengths have been
scale reading, which basically gives the diffraction
known for the three emission lines of hydrogen, the
angle, on the zeroth order of the spectrum is made the
principal quantum number or the initial state of
zero reading. The scale reading for each of the
hydrogen corresponding to each emission line is tried
emission lines, (red, blue, and violet) by setting the
to be figured out. It has been known that the visible
center of the telescope cross hair of the spectrometer
spectrum of hydrogen is exactly a Balmer series of
on the lines are read and recorded. With the scale
emission lines. It is therefore customary to use the
readings, the experimental wavelengths are
idea of Balmer's emission line series to determine the
determined by employing equation (9) on the first
corresponding principal quantum number of
order spectrum, m=1, as follows:
hydrogen in the emission lines. Moreover, a greater
1 energy corresponds to a lower principal quantum
λ=( x10 −3 m ) sinθ (11)
600 number and shorter wavelength, and thus, a shorter
wavelength corresponds to a lower principal number.
The experimenter then takes n+1 principal quantum
number for each of the succeeding emission line,
where n=2, that is nred = 3, nblue = 4, and nviolet= 5.
The graph of 1/λ is plotted against 1/n2 in Figure 2
where a linear regression is applied. The equation of
the regression line is:
1 − 1.21 −1
= 2
nm + 0.0029nm −1
λ n
The slope of the regression line gives the
experimental value of the Rydberg constant Rexp=
1.21x107m-1. This value is 10% deviating from the
accepted value of the constant. The regression
coefficient of linearity of the plot is nearly 1. This
suggests the existing linear proportionality of 1/λ
with 1/n2. The intercept of the regression line on the
other hand, gives the experimental quarter value of
the Rydberg constant R/4exp=0.287x107m-1, which has
4.8% percent deviation compared with the accepted
value.
0.0026
0.0024
0.0022
0.002
1/l nm-1
However, the resolution of the grating used does not
justify this overlap. The experimenter then tried to
plot a similar graph with n=5 changed to n=6. The
slope of this line gives a less percent deviation when
compared with the accepted value of constant,
however, the first graph has a better fit.
(12)
4. Conclusion and Recommendation
The experiment verified the linear relationship
that exists between the reciprocal of the wavelengths
of emission lines 1/λ and the reciprocal of the square
of the principal quantum number 1/n2 using a grating
spectrophotometry. This relationship was given by
the result of the regression analysis made with the 1/λ
versus 1/n2 plot of the experimental data,
1 − 1.21 −1
= nm + 0.0029nm −1 . The slope of the
λ n2
equation gives the experimental Rydberg constant of
proportionality, Rexp= 1.21x107m-1. This value agrees
with the accepted value within the 90% confidence
y = -0.0121x + 0.0029
limit. The measurements were not considerably
2
R = 0.9998 accurate as they were performed with a scale reading
of uncertainty 0.67°.
The experiment can be done in a more accurate

0.0018
0.0016
0.0014
0.0012
0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09
-2
0.1
n
Figure 2. The graph of 1/λ versus 1/n2 of the
Hydrogen spectrum. Using regression analysis, the
slope of the regression line gives the experimental
value of the Rydberg constant of proportionality
equal to -1.21x107 m-1.
The linear relationship of the variables 1/λ and 1/n2
suggests that the wavelength λ of the emitted photon
increases with the initial energy level or principal
quantum number of the hydrogen atom. However, the
obtained experimental value of the Rydberg constant
seems to be greater than the accepted value. This
could be accounted for by the calculation done on the
wavelengths which is brought by errors, both system
and random errors, that might have occurred on the
scale reading. The uncertainty of the angle
measurement is 0.67°. The telescope cross hair is not
very well set on the center of the emission lines and
the lines do have certain thickness. Another thing is
that, two emission lines of the hydrogen spectra are
both in the violet spectrum, corresponding to n=5 and
n=6 initial energy states of the hydrogen atom. Both
lines possibly overlap resulting to one emission line,
which is a disadvantage of a grating spectrometry.
and precise manner using other prism or digital
spectrometry. It is recommended that a better
performance of the experiment must be made and
necessitate accuracy and add some precision with the
0.11 0.12
scale reading for the diffraction angles of the
emission lines.
The experiment can be extended further to
investigating the spectral lines of monoatomic
elements such as Helium and Mercury. An
experiment with the Mercury spectrum tube may
interestingly complement a Frank-Hertz experiment
on the excitation energies of Mercury.
References
[1 ]David Halliday, et. al. Fundamentals of Physics.
Extended Sixth Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Singapore 2001.
[2] Kenneth S. Krane. Modern Physics. John Wiley
& Sons, Inc. New York.1983.
[3] Physics 104.1 Laboratory Manual; PASCO
Equipment Manual.
[4] The Balmer Series. http://www.en.wikipedia.com.
Date downloaded: August 13, 2003.