Worksheet 1.11
H Atoms Interac3ng
We are now going to talk about a system consis4ng of two hydrogen atoms interac4ng. Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xug5gVQmzBM
1. Take a minute to examine the poten4al energy curve shown for two hydrogen atoms interac4ng. Note at 4me = 27s, the poten4al energy curve for two helium atoms is
added to the graph.
Now, what do you no4ce is different about this hydrogen system compared to the one prior with two helium atoms?
2. What differences do you no4ce between the hydrogen poten4al energy curve and the
helium poten4al energy curve? What do the two curves tell you about the magnitude of the interac4on of 2 H atoms compared with 2 He atoms?
3. Using the informa4on from the graphs, which interac4on do you think would take the most energy to overcome (the interac4on between two He atoms or the interac4on between two H atoms)? Please explain your reasoning.
4. Think about what might happen when the temperature is increased. Why do you think it takes a temperature of 6000K to break the interac4on between two hydrogen atoms –
but only 4K to break the interac4on between two helium atoms?