CHAPTER 3.

Introduction to radiant
energy

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 Objective
At the end of this chapter the student will be
able to:
Definition of terms
Discuss radiant energy
Describe properties of EMR
Explain about interaction of EMR with matter
Discuss basic law of absorption: Beer-Lambert’s
law

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 Outline of radiant energy lecture
Introduction to radiant energy

Properties of EMR

Interaction of EMR with matter

Electromagnetic spectrum

Absorption measurements: Beer-Lambert’s law, stray

light

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 3.Introduction to radiant energy
Electromagnetic radiation
 Radiation showing electric & magnetic characteristics in

the form of waves or photons is termed as electromagnetic

radiation
 It travels at approx. 3 x 105 km/s in the vacuum of space.

 In materials which are transparent to electromagnetic

radiation, the velocity is slightly less than the velocity in a

vacuum.
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 Dual Nature of EMR Energy

Energy transfers in the physical world either by

waves or particles
In general, electromagnetic radiation behaves:

as a wave when moving through space,

as a particle when it interacts with matter

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 Wave Properties
 Wave is the way of transferring an energy from one place to
another
 Consists of discrete packets of energy or quanta called photons
 It Can be described by:
1. Velocity (c )
2. Amplitude
3. Wave length (λ)
4. Frequency (ν)

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 Wave Properties
1. Amplitude
 The height the wave crest or troughs from the baseline

 Governs brightness of light

2. Wavelength
 distance between two wave crests or troughs

 crest top to next crest top

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 Wave Properties
1. Amplitude
 The height the wave crest or troughs from the baseline

 Governs brightness of light

2. Wavelength
 distance between two wave crests or troughs

 crest top to next crest top

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 Wave Properties
3. Frequency
How fast it oscillates (goes up & down) measured in cycles

(remember crest to crest) per second.

The number of wave crests per second, that is the number of

wave crests that passes by a given point in one second.

1cycle/second = 1 Hz (hertz)

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 Wave Properties
Relationship between c, λ & ν

 The longer the wavelength the lower the frequency, or the

shorter the wavelength the higher the frequency.

 This relationship is expressed in the formula

ν = c/λ where: - ν - frequency of light in cycle/sec.

- c - speed of EM wave in vacuum

- λ - wave length in cm
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 Wave Properties
4. Speed of Light (velocity)

 Speed of the wave

 For example;
water - few meters per second

Sound wave – 340 m/sec

Light - 3 x 108 meters/second

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 Electromagnetic Radiation
 E = hv

 Where h = planck’s constant (6.62x10-27 erg.sec)

ν = frequency

E = energy
 E = h c /λ

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 Interaction of EMR with matter
 In order to use photometric instruments correctly & to
be able to develop & modify spectroscopic techniques it
is necessary to understand the principle of interaction of
radiation with matter.
 The only way to observe electromagnetic radiation is by
its interaction with matter.

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 Interaction of EMR with matter
It involves:
 Diffraction

 Reflection

 Refraction

 Absorption & transmission

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 1. Diffraction

Is the change of direction of the EM beam when it strikes the edge of an

opaque body or it passes through a small hole

2. Refraction

bending of light as it passes through materials of different optical density

3. Reflection

When radiation falls on silver coated glasses, the beam of the radiation

returns towards the source of radiation

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 The electromagnetic Spectrum
 Spectrum is an ordered arrangement of radiant energy
according to the wavelength.

A. Continuous spectrum
 A spectrum which is composed of visible lights of all
wavelengths are called Continuous spectrum
 It is a continuous spectrum because one color fades into
another.
 E.g. sun light or light from ordinary incandescent bulb
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 Component energies of the electromagnetic spectrum

a. Radio waves
 The longest- from a few meters to longer than the
size of the earth.
 They can travel long distance in the atmosphere

b. Microwaves
 The wavelength is from about 1 millimeter to 1
meter.
 Used in communication, radar & cooking
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 c. Infra red

 Wavelength from 10-3 to 10-6 (micron)

 Ranges from approx 12,500 – 50 cm-1
 Used in toxicology and molecular structure
determination
• 4000 to 1000 cm -1 – used for the analysis of organic
compounds
• 1000 to 400 cm -1 - is used for the analysis of
inorganic compounds
• 12,500 to 4000 cm -1 is not helpful for such
analysis.

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 d. Visible
It is a very small portion of the total EM spectrum

visible to human eye

It ranges from 700nm (at red light) to 400nm (violet)

the visible color of a solution corresponds to the

wavelength of the light that are transmitted, not
absorbed, by the solution.

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 Electromagnetic spectrum
 The different colors have different wavelengths &

frequencies.
The rest of the EM spectrum is not visible to the

human eye
Source of visible light:

o tungsten lamp.

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 wavelength Color of Color of light /solution
in nm light reflected/complementary
absorbed
350-430 Violet Yellow
430-475 Blue Orange
475-495 Blue-green Red -Orange
495-505 Blue-green Orange - Red
505-555 Green red
555-575 Yellow- Violet red
green
575-600 Yellow Violet
600-650 Orange Blue
650-700 Red green
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 Electromagnetic Spectrum
A substance that absorbs green light at 500 nm reflects or

transmits all other lights or wavelengths & appears as

purple.
To measure the concentration of a blue solution, light at

about 590 nm is passed through the solution

The amount of yellow light absorbed varies directly as

the concentration of the absorbing substance in solution

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 EMR Spectrum
 The absorbed color is the complementary of the

transmitted color.
 Thus to make absorption measurement, one must use the

wavelength at which a colored solution absorbs light.

 For example, a red solution absorbs green light &

transmitted red light. Therefore, a red solution should be

measured at 490 to 550nm

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 EMR Spectrum
In photometer using filter used as a monochromator,

the filter chosen is usually complementary to the color

of the solution to be measured.
 blue solution – yellow filter

 Yellow solution –blue filter

 Red solution – blue green filter

 Blue green solution – red filter

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 e. UV Light

It ranges from 400 to 100 nm

It is dangerous to tissue & cells (common sun

burns)
It is obtained by energy transition in the valence

electrons of the molecules.

Widely used in the quantitative & qualitative

determination of clinical chemistry tests.

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 UV light
Source:

 discharge tube containing hydrogen or deuterium at

reduced pressure.
High pressure mercury & xenon arc lamps.

c + d + e = light

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 f. X- ray
It ranges from 100 to 0.1 nm

High frequency, high energy waves that can

penetrate several centimeters into most solid

matter.
Used in radiological diagnosis

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 g. Gamma rays

 it ranges from 0.1 to less than 10-16

 It is the highest energy ray in the EM spectrum

 It is generally produced in nuclear reactions & not as

common in nature,

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 B. Line/atomic emission spectrum
a spectrum with only certain colors. (NOT

continuous like sunlight)

Samples of elements emit light when they are

vaporized (heated) or electricity passes through

them.
Every element has a unique line

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 Line/ Atomic Emission
The wavelength of the line are characteristics of a

particular element
It can be used for qualitative identification &

quantitative determination of elements in an

unknown mixture
For example, flame photometer, atomic absorption

spectrophotometer.
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