Unit 3 · Properties of Substances and Mixtures

Chapter 3.6

Light as a Probe: Spectroscopy, Photons, and the Beer–Lambert Law

A microwave oven, a heat lamp, and a sunburn are the same physics at three energies: light making molecules spin, vibrate, or rearrange their electrons. Shine light through a solution and it even counts the molecules for you.

in preparation · lesson 14 of 45

By the end

  1. 01Match microwave, infrared, and ultraviolet–visible light to rotational, vibrational, and electronic transitions
  2. 02Relate a photon's energy, frequency, and wavelength with Planck's equation and the speed of light
  3. 03Explain absorption and emission as a transition of exactly one photon's energy
  4. 04Use absorbance, path length, and molar absorptivity to find a concentration

In unit 3

  1. 3.1Intermolecular Forces: Why Molecules Stick Together
  2. 3.2Solids, Liquids, and Gases: Properties from Particles
  3. 3.3The Ideal Gas Law, Kinetic Molecular Theory, and Real Gases
  4. 3.4Solutions and Molarity: Picturing What Is Dissolved
  5. 3.5Separating Mixtures and Why Things Dissolve
  6. 3.6Light as a Probe: Spectroscopy, Photons, and the Beer–Lambert Law
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