Chemistry · Ch 2 — Structure of Atom
Reasons for the Failure of the Bohr Model
Reasons for the Failure of the Bohr Model
Reasons for the Failure of the Bohr Model
We can now understand why the Bohr model ultimately failed. In Bohr's model, an electron is treated as a charged particle moving in well-defined circular orbits around the nucleus. Two fundamental problems exist:
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The wave character of the electron is ignored. Bohr's model does not account for the dual nature of matter — the fact that electrons exhibit wave-like behaviour.
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An orbit is a clearly defined path. Such a path can be completely defined only if both the position and the velocity of the electron are known exactly at the same time. According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, this is impossible.
The Bohr model of the hydrogen atom not only ignores the dual behaviour of matter but also directly contradicts the uncertainty principle. Given these inherent weaknesses, there was no point in extending the Bohr model to other atoms. What was needed was a new approach to atomic structure that could account for wave-particle duality and be consistent with the uncertainty principle. This came with the advent of quantum mechanics. …