Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Temperature Response of Soil Organic Matter Decomposition Rates: Construction and Applications of a Temperature Gradient Block
Published on: January 30, 2026
Low atmospheric temperature dependence on photodegradation of wood
1Gifu Prefectural Human Life Technology Research Institute, 1554 Yamada, Takayama 506-0058, Japan. mitsui@wood.rd.pref.gifu.jp
Abstract:
This paper deals with the photodegradation of wood in low atmospheric temperature region (-40 to 50 degrees C), and discusses the changes in color and IR spectra. The color and IR spectra of wood hardly changed with photo-irradiation at -40 degrees C but did at -20 degrees C. Therefore, it is thought that the photo-energy causes the scission of chemical bonds or the production of radicals; however, heat energy is needed to yellow of wood (i.e., to produce quinone). In case of softwoods, the absorption of the carbonyl band consisted of two sub-bands, and the carbonyl band at around 1710 cm(-1) increased at lower temperature than that at around 1760 cm(-1) by light-irradiation. Such IR measurement due to lignin degradation means that the photodegradation of softwoods is faster than that of hardwoods. The color change by exposure to light in the low temperature was also caused by the degradation of lignin.
Related Concept Videos
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Biodeterioration
Seasoning of Wood
Achieving equilibrium moisture content is the goal of seasoning; this is the point where the wood's moisture content stabilizes to align with the moisture levels of the surrounding environment. Proper...
Atomic Spectroscopy: Effects of Temperature
At thermal equilibrium, the relative populations of excited and ground state atoms can be estimated using the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. For example, an increase in temperature from...
Effects of Temperature on Free Energy
Introduction to Wood
The structural integrity of the wood...

