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Ch.5 - Periodicity & Electronic Structure of Atoms
Chapter 5, Problem 55

Cesium metal is frequently used in photoelectric cells because the amount of energy necessary to eject electrons from a cesium surface is relatively small—only 206.5 kJ/mol. What wavelength of light in nanometers does this correspond to?

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Photoelectric Effect

The photoelectric effect is the phenomenon where electrons are emitted from a material when it absorbs light of sufficient energy. This effect demonstrates the particle nature of light, where photons collide with electrons, providing them enough energy to overcome the material's work function, which is the minimum energy required to eject an electron.
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Photoelectric Effect

Energy and Wavelength Relationship

The energy of a photon is inversely related to its wavelength, described by the equation E = hc/λ, where E is energy, h is Planck's constant, c is the speed of light, and λ is the wavelength. This relationship indicates that shorter wavelengths correspond to higher energy photons, which is crucial for understanding how light can cause electron ejection in the photoelectric effect.
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Frequency-Wavelength Relationship

Conversion of Energy Units

In this context, energy is given in kJ/mol, which must be converted to joules per photon for calculations involving individual photons. Since 1 kJ = 1000 J and 1 mol contains Avogadro's number of particles (approximately 6.022 x 10^23), converting kJ/mol to J/photon allows for the application of the energy-wavelength relationship to find the corresponding wavelength of light.
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Conversion Factors
Related Practice
Textbook Question
The work function of cesium metal is 188 kJ/mol, which corresponds to light with a wavelength of 637 nm. Which of the following will cause the smallest number of electrons to be ejected from cesium? (a) High-amplitude wave with a wavelength of 500 nm (b) Low-amplitude wave with a wavelength of 500 nm (c) High-amplitude wave with a wavelength of 650 nm (d) Low-amplitude wave with a wavelength of 650 nm
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Textbook Question
The work function of calcium metal is kJ/mol, which corresponds to light with a wavelength of 432 nm. Which of the following will cause the largest number of electrons to be ejected from cesium? (a) High-amplitude wave with a wavelength of 400 nm (b) Low-amplitude wave with a wavelength of 400 nm (c) High-amplitude wave with a wavelength of 450 nm (d) Low-amplitude wave with a wavelength of 450 nm
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Textbook Question
The work function of silver metal is 436 kJ/mol. What frequency of light is needed to eject electrons from a sample of silver?
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Textbook Question
Spectroscopy is a technique that uses the interaction of radiant energy with matter to identify or quantify a substance in a sample. A deuterium lamp is often used a light source in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum and the emission spectrum is shown. Is this a continuous or line emission spectrum?

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Textbook Question
Sodium-vapor lamps are a common source of lighting. The emission spectrum from this type of lamp is shown. Is this a continuous or line emission spectrum?

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Textbook Question
According to the equation for the Balmer line spectrum of hydrogen, a value of n = 3 gives a red spectral line at 656.3 nm, a value of n = 4 gives a green line at 486.1 nm, and a value of n = 5 gives a blue line at 434.0 nm. Calculate the energy in kilojoules per mole of the radiation corresponding to each of these spectral lines.
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