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Encyclopedia of Biophysics pp 1–4Cite as

Absorption Spectroscopy: Relationship of Transition Type to Molecular Structure

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Synonyms

Classes of absorption transitions

Definition

A very wide range of organic and inorganic substances can be analyzed using UV and visible absorption spectroscopy. The wavelengths, intensities, and fine structure of the absorption bands are determined by the structures of the neutral or ionic species concerned. For almost all substances, UV and visible absorption spectra are caused by electronic transitions. A spectrum may contain more than one region of absorption, known as a band or band system, as molecules may undergo a range of different electronic transitions.

Basic Characteristics

To a first approximation, electronic transitions may be described as involving different combinations of orbitals: bonding (e.g., σ and π for organic molecules), so-called nonbonding (n), and antibonding (e.g., σ* and π*) orbitals. A simple bonding-to-antibonding promotion model of electronic transitions is an oversimplification that does not adequately explain the spectra of all compounds – for...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia

    Paul Wormell

Authors
  1. Paul Wormell
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul Wormell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University Leicester MRC Centre, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Gordon Roberts

  2. Dept Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Anthony Watts

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

    Alison Rodger

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© 2018 European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA)

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Wormell, P. (2018). Absorption Spectroscopy: Relationship of Transition Type to Molecular Structure. In: Roberts, G., Watts, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Biophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35943-9_781-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35943-9_781-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35943-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35943-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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