The Bohr model successfully explains the spectrum of hydrogen but fails for…
CHEMISTRY · Single correct · ISC · Physics · Electrostatics · Coulomb's law and superposition of forces
Problem
The Bohr model successfully explains the spectrum of hydrogen but fails for multi-electron atoms such as helium. Which of the following is the primary reason for this limitation?
(a) The uncertainty principle prevents electrons in heavier atoms from having well-defined orbit radii, so the Bohr quantisation rule cannot apply.
(b) Changes in effective nuclear charge due to shielding make the allowed energies form a continuum instead of discrete levels.
(c) Electron–electron repulsion introduces additional forces that invalidate the assumption of a single Coulomb attraction used in Bohr’s derivation.
(d) The nucleus of helium is so massive that relativistic corrections dominate and alter the discrete energy levels predicted by the Bohr model.