De-excitation
Once an electron has been excited, it’s quite easy for it to be attracted back towards the nucleus, so its energy level can decrease or the electron can even return to the ground state.
Photon emission
When an electron moves into a lower energy level, its energy decreases which means that energy must go somewhere.
It will release a photon. The energy of the photon is equal to the amount of energy the electron lost. If it moved from an energy level of
flashcards
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What happens when an electron moves into a lower energy level? | It releases a photon, and the photon’s energy equals the amount of energy the electron lost. |