Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Excitonic Hamiltonians for Calculating Optical Absorption Spectra and Optoelectronic Properties of Molecular Aggregates and Solids
08:04

Excitonic Hamiltonians for Calculating Optical Absorption Spectra and Optoelectronic Properties of Molecular Aggregates and Solids

Published on: May 27, 2020

Vertical transition energies vs. absorption maxima: illustration with the UV absorption spectrum of ethylene

Benjamin Lasorne1, Joaquim Jornet-Somoza, Hans-Dieter Meyer

  • 1Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, Université Montpellier 2, CC 15001, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France.

Spectrochimica Acta. Part A, Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy
|May 29, 2013
PubMed

Keywords:
Absorption maximumEthyleneExcited-state quantum chemistryFranck–Condon factorsUV–visible spectroscopyVertical transition energy

More Related Videos

Characterization of Biological Absorption Spectra Spanning the Visible to the Short-Wave Infrared07:38

Characterization of Biological Absorption Spectra Spanning the Visible to the Short-Wave Infrared

Published on: January 10, 2025

Angle-resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy At Ultra-low Temperatures08:53

Angle-resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy At Ultra-low Temperatures

Published on: October 9, 2012

Related Concept Videos

UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions01:16

UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions

In Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, the absorption of electromagnetic radiation is used to probe the electronic structure of molecules. This technique provides insights into molecular electronic transitions, particularly the movement of electrons between different molecular orbitals. Radiation is absorbed if the energy of the electromagnetic radiation passing through the molecule is precisely equal to the energy difference between the excited and ground states. During this process,...
UV–Vis Spectroscopy of Conjugated Systems01:32

UV–Vis Spectroscopy of Conjugated Systems

Organic compounds with conjugated double bonds show strong absorption features in the UV–visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum attributed to π → π* electronic excitations. Generally, a UV–vis absorption spectrum is recorded as a plot of absorbance vs wavelength. The wavelength of maximum absorbance, which manifests as a peak in the absorption spectrum, is denoted as λmax.
One of the factors influencing λmax is the extent of conjugation in the...
UV–Vis Spectrum01:30

UV–Vis Spectrum

When light passes through a substance, a portion of the light is absorbed while the remaining light is reflected or transmitted. If the molecule absorbs light between the wavelengths of 180–400 nm range, the UV spectrum is obtained, and if it absorbs light in the 400–780 nm wavelength range, the visible spectrum is obtained.     
The UV–Vis spectrum of a molecule is the plot of its absorbance versus wavelength. The plot is drawn by taking molar absorptivity (ε) or log ε on the y-axis (ordinate)...
Molecular Spectroscopy: Absorption and Emission01:14

Molecular Spectroscopy: Absorption and Emission

Molecules possess discrete energy levels called quantum states. Unlike atoms, which have simpler energy levels, molecules possess additional rotational and vibrational energy levels. Each energy level is separated by an energy gap, with the gaps between adjacent electronic, vibrational, and rotational levels varying significantly. The three types of energy levels in a diatomic molecule are shown in Figure 1.
UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Woodward–Fieser Rules01:29

UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Woodward–Fieser Rules

UV–Visible absorption spectra of conjugated dienes arise from the lowest energy π → π* transitions. The light-absorbing part of the molecule is called the chromophore, and the substituents directly attached to the chromophore are called auxochromes. A strong correlation exists between the absorption maxima, λmax, and the structure of a conjugated π system. The Woodward–Fieser rules predict the value of λmax for a given structure by adding the contributions...
IR Spectrum01:19

IR Spectrum

When infrared (IR) radiation passes through a molecule, the bonds stretch or bend by absorbing the radiation. This absorption creates the molecule's absorption spectrum, which is the plot of its percentage transmittance versus wavenumber.
Transmittance is defined as the ratio of the radiant power passing through a sample to that from the radiation's source. Multiplying the transmittance by 100 gives the percent transmittance (%T), which varies between 100% (no absorption) and 0% (complete...