CHEM344 HW#7

Due: Fri, Mar 14@2pm BEFORE CLASS!

HW to be handed in:
Atkins
Chapter 8: Exercises: 8.11(b), 8.16(b), 8.19(b),
Problems: 8.2, 8.4, 8.12, 8.34,
Chapter 9: Exercises: 9.5(b), 9.7(b),

Extra (do not hand in):

Chapter 8: Exercises: 8.10(b), 8.14(b), 8.15(b), 8.17(b), 8.21(b), 8.23(b),
Problems: 8.26, 8.38,
Chapter 9: Exercises: 9.6(b), 9.8(b), 9.12(b),

1. [8.11(b)] Calculate the wavelength of a photon needed to excite a transition between

neighbouring energy levels of a harmonic oscillator of effective mass equal to that of an oxygen
atom (15.9949mu) and force constant 544 N m−1.

Note: by using mass of 16 this is like O atom

vibrating against metal plane (catalyst), not O2.
To describe diatomic, need reduced mass
2. [8.16(b)] What are the most probable displacements of a harmonic oscillator with v = 3?

This means positive and

negative extrema of 

Divide out anything common

since goes into 0 on other side

Quadratics easier to solve

3. [8.19(b)] Calculate the value of |ml | for the system described in the preceding exercise
corresponding to a rotational energy equal to the classical average energy at 25°C (which is
equal to 1/2kT).Note: from 8.19(a) the system is a proton constrained to rotate in a circle of
radius 100 pm around a fixed point. The energy is ½ kT since 1-D problem.
4. [8.2] The mass to use in the expression for the vibrational frequency of a diatomic molecule is
the effective mass μ = mAmB/(mA + mB), where mA and mB are the masses of the individual
atoms. The following data on the infrared absorption wavenumbers (wavenumbers in cm−1) of
molecules are taken from Spectra of diatomic molecules, G. Herzberg, van Nostrand (1950):
H35Cl H81Br HI CO NO
2990 2650 2310 2170 1904
Calculate the force constants of the bonds and arrange them in order of increasing stiffness.

meff is  the reduced mass, sorry

5. [8.4] Calculate the energies of the first four rotational levels of 1H127I free to rotate in three
dimensions, using for its moment of inertia I = μR2, with μ= mHmI /(mH + mI) and R = 160 pm.
This is same as the orbital angular momentum
solution for H-atom, but R constant, E = El only

If it were particle on a ring,

1-D, then get E ~ n2 instead
of E ~ l(l+1), 2-D
6. [8.12] Calculate the mean kinetic energy of a harmonic oscillator by using the relations in
Table 8.1.

Kinetic energy is T or in q.m. is –ħ2/2m d2/dx2

7. [8.34] Of the four assumptions made in Problem 8.33, the last two are questionable. Suppose
that the first two assumptions are still reasonable and that you have at your disposal a supply of
myoglobin, a suitable buffer in which to suspend the protein, 12C16O, 13C16O, 12C18O, 13C18O, and
an infrared spectrometer. Assuming that isotopic substitution does not affect the force constant
of the C≡O bond, describe a set of experiments that: (a) proves which atom, C or O, binds to
the haem group of myoglobin, and (b) allows for the determination of the force constant of the
C≡O bond for myoglobin-bound carbon monoxide.

In reality the bond between CO and the heam is not rigid, and the mass of both C and O will
affect the frequency, but this is a good logic problem none the less. The difference between this
simple assumption and reality is not so great since the frequency of the CO—heam vibration is
very different from the CO vibration, so they do not couple very well. This is like a triple mass
connected by two springs problem. Try it out.
8. [9.5(b)] The wavefunction for the 2s orbital of a hydrogen atom is N(2 − r/a0)e−r/2a0. Determine
the normalization constant N.

Recall:
∫02 d = (2 – 0) = 2∫0 sin  d = -cos |0= - (-1 – 1) = 2 so ∫02 ∫0 sin  d d= 4
9. [9.7(b)] At what radius in the H atom does the radial distribution function of the ground state
have (a) 50 per cent, (b) 75 per cent of its maximum value.
Extra (do not hand in):

10. [8.10(b)] For a certain harmonic oscillator of effective mass 2.88 × 10−25 kg, the difference in
adjacent energy levels is 3.17 zJ. Calculate the force constant of the oscillator.

11. [8.14(b)] Confirm that the wavefunction for the first excited state of a one-dimensional linear
harmonic oscillator given in Table 8.1 is a solution of the Schrödinger equation for the oscillator
and that its energy is ω.
12. [8.15(b)] Locate the nodes of the harmonic oscillator wavefunction with v = 5.

13. [8.17(b)] Assuming that the vibrations of a 14N2 molecule are equivalent to those of a
harmonic oscillator with a force constant k = 2293.8 N m−1, what is the zero-point energy of
vibration of this molecule? The effective mass of a homonuclear diatomic molecule is half its
total mass, and m(14N) = 14.0031mu.
14. [8.21(b)] The moment of inertia of an SF6 molecule is 3.07 × 10−45 kg m2. What is the
minimum energy needed to start it rotating?

15. [8.23(b)] What is the magnitude of the angular momentum of an SF6 molecule when it is
rotating with its minimum energy?

16. [8.26] Show that the function f = cos ax cos by cos cz is an eigenfunction of ∇2, and
determine its eigenvalue.
17. [8.38] We remarked in Impact I8.1 that the particle in a sphere is a reasonable starting point
for the discussion of the electronic properties of spherical metal nanoparticles. Here, we justify
the expression for the energy levels with l = 0.
(a) The Hamiltonian for a particle free to move inside a sphere of radius R is

Show that the Schrödinger equation is separable into radial and angular components. That is,
begin by writing ψ(r,θ,φ) = u(r)Y(θ,φ), where u(r) depends only on the distance of the particle
away from the centre of the sphere, and Y(θ,φ) is a spherical harmonic. Then show that the
Schrödinger equation can be separated into two equations, one for u, the radial equation, and
the other for Y, the angular equation:

(b) Consider the case l = 0. Show by differentiation that the solution of the radial equation has
the form

(c) Now go on to show that the allowed energies are given by:
18. [9.6(b)] By differentiation of the 3s radial wavefunction, show that it has three extrema in its
amplitude, and locate them.
19. [9.8(b)] Locate the radial nodes in the 4p orbital of an H atom.

20. [9.12(b)] What is the orbital angular momentum of an electron in the orbitals (a) 4d, (b) 2p,
(c) 3p? Give the numbers of angular and radial nodes in each case.