The radius of the atom increases when the electron in a hydrogen atom undergoes a transition from the 1s-orbital to a 2p-orbital.
How is this possible? Why does exciting an electron to a higher energy state increase the radius of the atom?
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$\begingroup$ Related: Angular and radial nodes Why is the 2s orbital lower in energy than the 2p orbital when the electrons in 2s are usually farther from the nucleus? Atomic radius definition disproved - Bohr's model to Schroedinger's wave equation What is the difference between the mean radial distance and the most probable radial distance of an orbital? $\endgroup$ – Martin - マーチン♦ Jun 18 '19 at 15:53
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3$\begingroup$ This can be anything from a very short to a very long story, depending on how much you already know. What is a hydrogen atom, to begin with? What is it made of? $\endgroup$ – Ivan Neretin Jun 18 '19 at 15:54
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2$\begingroup$ Atomic radii are not very well defined. tl;dr: the 'average radius' / most probable distance is larger for a 2p orbital than for the 1s. $\endgroup$ – Martin - マーチン♦ Jun 18 '19 at 15:54
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1$\begingroup$ If an atom is excited by a large amount of energy to close to its ionisation energy, its size becomes vast compared to that at its lowest energy. In the Bohr model the radius increases as $n^2$ when $n$ is the principle quantum number. Search for Rydberg atoms. $\endgroup$ – porphyrin Jun 18 '19 at 17:15
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$\begingroup$ See also Rydberg atoms. E.g for an atom of potassium, and an electron excited to n=600, the electron occurs up to 0.1 mm far from the kernel. $\endgroup$ – Poutnik Jun 19 '19 at 4:07
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