Electromagnetic radiation, atomic energy levels

If a substance is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation, the energy of the incident photons may be transferred to the atoms or molecules raising them from the ground state to an excited state. This process, known as absorption, is accompanied by attenuation of the incident radiation at a particular frequency and can occur only when the energy difference between the two levels is exactly matched by the energy of the photons. The frequency of the radiation is given by... 

Atomic and Molecular Energy Levels. Absorption and emission of electromagnetic radiation can occur by any of several mechanisms. Those important in spectroscopy are resonant interactions in which the photon energy matches the energy difference between discrete stationary energy states (eigenstates) of an atomic or molecular system = hv. This is known as the Bohr frequency condition. Transitions between... 

The set of energy levels associated with a particular substance is a unique characteristic of that substance and determines the frequencies at which electromagnetic radiation can be absorbed or emitted. Qualitative information regarding the composition and structure of a sample is obtained through a study of the positions and relative intensities of spectral lines or bands. Quantitative analysis is possible because of the direct proportionality between the intensity of a particular line or band and the number of atoms or molecules undergoing the transition. The various spectrometric techniques commonly used for analytical purposes and the type of information they provide are given in Table 7.1. 

The interaction processes between UV-Vis photons and the outer electrons of the atoms of the analytes can be understood using quantum mechanics theory. In the thermodynamic equilibrium between matter and interacting electromagnetic radiation, according to the radiation laws postulated by Einstein, three basic processes between two stable energy levels 1 and 2 are possible. These processes, which can be defined by their corresponding transition probabilities, are summarised in Figure 1.3. 

GAMMA RADIATION. A photon, or quantum of electromagnetic radiation, that is emitted when an atomic nucleus undergoes a transition front one of its excited energy levels to a lower level. The name gamma... 

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