A hydrogen atom in the n = state represents:

Answer: An ionised hydrogen atom.

A An ionised hydrogen atom
B An electron in the ground state
C A fully bound excited atom
D An electron at the nucleus

Correct answer: A. An ionised hydrogen atom

Explanation: At n = ∞, the hydrogen electron has zero total energy and is no longer bound to the proton. The atom is therefore ionised.

Comparison of the Thomson model and the Rutherford model of the atom: in the Thomson plum pudding model alpha particles pass almost straight through a diffuse positive sphere, while in the Rutherford model a concentrated central nucleus deflects some alpha particles through large angles, with the lower panels showing the alpha particle source and gold foil and the observed result of wide-angle scattering

The Geiger–Marsden alpha-scattering result: a few alpha particles bounce back at large angles, which rules out Thomson’s diffuse model and demands a tiny, massive, positively charged nucleus. Image: Kurzon, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Concept context

Thomson's plum-pudding model, Rutherford's nuclear model from alpha-scattering, Bohr's postulates and hydrogen spectrum, spectral series (Lyman to Pfund), Rydberg formula, and limitations of each model.

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A hydrogen atom in the n = &infin; state represents:

Concept context

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A hydrogen atom in the n = ∞ state represents: