Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy(electronic energy) It is easy to think of atoms as tiny little solar systems with the electrons orbitting the nucleus in a similar fashion as planets orbiting the sun. This simplistic picture satisfies our intuition, but it does not correspond with what we know about the atom It is more effective to treat electrons as waves rather than particles (This may sound complicated but you' ll have a chance to explore this in great depth during your stay here at MIT.) What it boils down to is that electrons occupy discrete orbitals that are best described by mathematical functions called wavefunctions. Because these orbitals electrons from lower energy to higher energy orbitals excitation of ave quantized energy, we can use spectroscopy to investigate the These excitations usually involve h an electron moving from a low excitation energy bonding orbital to a high energy antibonding orbital E Bonding UV-Vis spectroscopy is most frequently used to detect the presence of a specific compound in solution or to measure concentrations very accurately. You will get a chance to do this later this monthUltraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (electronic energy) • It is easy to think of atoms as tiny little solar systems with the electrons orbitting the nucleus in a similar fashion as planets orbiting the sun. This simplistic picture satisfies our intuition, but it does not correspond with what we know about the atom. It is more effective to treat electrons as waves rather than particles! (This may sound complicated, but you'll have a chance to explore this in great depth during your stay here at MIT.) • What it boils down to is that electrons occupy discrete orbitals that are best described by mathematical functions called wavefunctions. Because these orbitals have quantized energy, we can use spectroscopy to investigate the excitation of electrons from lower energy to higher energy orbitals. i i hν E Ant bonding Bond ng excitation • These excitations usually involve an electron moving from a low energy bonding orbital to a high energy antibonding orbital. • UV-Vis spectroscopy is most frequently used to detect the presence of a specific compound in solution or to measure concentrations very accurately. You will get a chance to do this later this month. 3