Which statement is true regarding Niels Bohr's research compared to earlier atomic models?

• A. Bohr suggested that electrons are embedded within a positively charged sphere, as in the plum pudding model.
• B. Bohr's model described electrons as waves spread throughout the atom, without defined orbits.
• C. Bohr proposed that electrons occupy specific energy levels and can move between them by absorbing or emitting energy.
• D. Bohr claimed that atoms are indivisible and cannot emit radiation.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the context of atomic models before Bohr. The plum pudding model, proposed by J.J. Thomson, described electrons as embedded within a positively charged sphere, without specific orbits or energy levels.
2. Step 2: Recognize that Bohr's model introduced the idea that electrons move in specific, quantized orbits or energy levels around the nucleus, which was a significant departure from earlier models.
3. Step 3: Recall that Bohr proposed electrons can jump between these energy levels by absorbing or emitting discrete amounts of energy (quanta), explaining atomic emission spectra.
4. Step 4: Note that Bohr's model did not describe electrons as waves spread throughout the atom; that concept was introduced later by quantum mechanics and wave mechanics.
5. Step 5: Understand that Bohr did not claim atoms are indivisible or that they cannot emit radiation; in fact, his model explains how atoms emit radiation when electrons transition between energy levels.