Volts vs. Electron Volts | Unpacking the Key Differences in Electrical Units

In fields like particle physics, chemistry and molecular biology, atoms and molecules associated with nature work at a scale too tiny to be measured with joules. The eV – more commonly known as the electron volt – is one of the most well known measurements in chemistry and physics for its ease of fitting into smaller measurements.

This guide will explain everything there is to know in regards to the voltage, from how much energy does 1 eV possess, its interchangeability as well as conversion with volt and the correct usage of eV.

What is meant by an electron volt? 

An electron volt is a term which describes a unit of energy widely accepted in physical sciences such as chemistry, material science and even physics.

The rephrased definition stems from its simplest form as the amount of kinetic energy lost or gained by a single electron when moved across a voltage with a difference of 1 volt inside the electric potential chamber.

Let’s put this simpler: 

When you cross push/pull an electron across the voltage of 1 volt, it moves and gains the energy of 1 electron volt.

What is the value of 1 eV?

In the classical framework: 

1 eV = 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ joules (J)

In relation to processes involving atoms or electrons, this amount of energy is extremely useful, despite being diminutive in comparison to normal scales. 

How much energy is 1 electron volt?

1 electron volt can allow one to:

• Move a singular electron from one location to another across a potential of one volt.
• Split or bond extremely small particles such as atoms or molecules. 
• Cause transitions between energy levels in atoms.

In a broader context it is undeniably minuscule:

• A light bulb of 100 watts uses roughly 6.24 × 10²⁰ electron volts in one second. 

This example shows how precise in description 1 eV is for processes at atomic levels. 

What is the difference between volts and electron volts?

They may sound alike, but there is a substantial difference between volts and electron volts:

Unit	Measures	Example Use
Volt (V)	Electric potential (voltage)	Power supply, battery voltage
Electron volt (eV)	Energy	Energy of particles, atomic interactions

To summarize: 

• Being a measurement that describes a possibility of a movement to occur, Volts indicate the amount of potential to incite movement.
• Electron volts represent the actual energy an electron loses or gains when put in a situation that exerts such a voltage.

How powerful is an electron volt?

In order to measure how powerful an electron volt is, it is important to keep in mind the following is caused by one volt:  

• The ability to break and form chemical bonds.  
• The acceleration of particles in physics experiments.  
• Jumping of electrons in energy levels within an atom.   

While appearing insignificant to humans, 1 eV can cause significant changes in the atomic world because of its capability to trigger changes.  

How powerful is 1 eV?  

Not powerful at all when compared to macroscopic energies, however it does play a vital role in:  

• Emitting light from atoms.  
• Basic nuclear reactions.  
• Excitations of ions and atoms by moving electrons to upper energy states.  

For example:  

• The hydrogen atom contains an electron binding energy of 13.6 eV and photons of visible light carrying tremendous amounts of energy anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 eV.  
• Hence, the statement “1 eV is extremely potent at the atomic and molecular level” is indeed true.  

What does this mean in volts?  

This tends to be a tricky answer since eV and volts V have different measures. However, they can be indirectly related.  

• Using a volt of electric potential equal to 1 leads to saying, “1 eV refers to the energy gained by an elementary charge (electron) when it moves through 1 volt”.  
• One electron multiplied by one volt results in one eV mathematically.

Purely in terms of conversion, a different category of ‘energy’ and ‘electric potential’ are interrelated through the contradiction that 1 eV does not equate to one volt.

How to use electron volts?

Atomic physics

• Energy levels of electrons.

Particle physics

• Energetics of subatomic particles such as protons, neutrons and neutrinos.

Chemistry:

• Bond dissociation and ionization enthalpy.

Solid state physics:

• Band gaps within semiconductors.

Substantiated examples:

• Ionization energy of hydrogen is 13.6 eV
• Photons emitting visible light have energy ranging from roughly 1.8 to 3.1 eV.
• Energy gaps in silicon semiconductors sit close to 1.1 eV.

All the aforementioned serve the single purpose of reinforcing how well atomic size matters can be tackled scalable with electron volts.

How do you convert energy to eV?

Deriving energy in electron volts with measurements in joules follows this simple step:

Energy (eV) = Energy (J) ÷ (1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹)

The reverse holds true, meaning it also entails multiplying the 1.602 × 10^-19 constant while replacing eV with the desired unit.

Brought forth conversion 1, assume you sat on 3.204 × 10⁻¹⁹ joules. To bring it to eV, executing the formulation is key:

= (3.204 × 10⁻¹⁹ J) ÷ (1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ J/eV)

The output being two eV.

Subsequently, followed converting two from eV pegged to 5 for the desired product, joules.

To derive the value in joules: 

= 5 × (1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹) 

= 8.01 × 10⁻¹⁹ joules 

Practical significance of electron volts in science 

Here is the reasoning as to why many disciplines adopt eV as a unit: 

Field	Example Use	Typical Values (in eV)
Atomic Physics	Electron binding energies	10–100 eV
Chemistry	Molecular bond energies	1–10 eV
Particle Physics	Particle energies in accelerators	Thousands to billions of eV
Semiconductor Physics	Band gaps	0.5–3 eV

Expressing these values in joules instead of eV would be rather cumbersome and inaccurate for the cut-off numbers produced.  

Common misconceptions concerning electron volts    

• Confusing volts with electron volts: Volts represent potential, while electron volts represent energy.  
• Charge and energy units mix-up: The term 1 eV holds true only to particles that carry a single elementary charge. 
• Ignoring conversions: There is no such thing as improperly labeled values when switching from joules to eV, this switch changes the unit needed. 

Interesting things about electron volts 

• Collisions are measured in tera-electron volts (TeV) by particle physicists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. 1 TeV = 10¹² eV! 
• The energy cost for liberating one electron from the atom is ‘work function’ and it stands for only a few eV.
• Even cosmic rays bear energies surpassing billions of electron volts!

The need behind understanding the electron volt

In physics, chemistry, engineering, and technology, the electron volt’s impact is visible even though its representation is a meager unit of energy.

Let’s summarize: 

What is the electron volt? 

It is the energy derived from an electron moving across one volt.

What is the value of 1 eV? 

It is 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ joules.

How powerful is 1 eV? 

It is very powerful on an atomic level and is sufficient for chemical reactions and light emission.

How to use it and convert it? 

For discussions with microscopic scope, switching between joules and eV is effortless.

For those exploring the universe’s atomic forces, fabricating new materials, or studying atomic movements, electron volts enrich the understanding of the mini world.