Organic Chemistry Teacher: Learn Blackbody Radiation

Organic Chemistry Teacher: Learn Blackbody RadiationOne important part of learning organic chemistry is learning how to control a blackbody (or absorbing radiation at any wavelength). Now, if you learn the concepts of absorption and emission, you are well on your way to becoming an organic chemistry tutor.When a light source emits radiation in the visible, ultraviolet, or infrared regions of the spectrum, that light is in fact absorbed by the surface in which it is located. As a result, the photons absorbed by a surface that can hold an electron remain in the object. If you want to create a blackbody, you have to stop the atoms from absorbing light, and instead allow them to emit the light they previously absorbed. That's the real essence of blackbody radiation, and the most fundamental concept of organic chemistry.So what does this have to do with organic chemistry? Well, it has everything to do with organic chemistry. Your teacher's guide was right, organic chemistry is all about a bsorption and emission. Remember the old chemical teachers telling you that absorption and emission are interrelated? They are!If you're like most students in organic chemistry, you've probably had trouble absorbing the concepts. The best way to learn about absorption and emission is to study blackbody radiation in organic chemistry. The basic ideas will get you going in organic chemistry, but you'll also gain knowledge about absorption and emission.A simple experiment in which you control a blackbody is a good introduction to the concept of blackbody radiation. Inorganic compounds that absorb light include water, carbon dioxide, and chloroform, and organic compounds include amino acids, sugars, and proteins. (There are also some gases that absorb light, including oxygen and nitrogen.)Fluorescent light emitting dyes can be used to determine the absorption of an element, and the amount of radiation absorbed by an element. The fluorescent dye is placed on the surface of the element, a nd a computer generates an image of what the surface looks like under a laser beam. To see the effect of absorption and emission, you'll need to know the spectra of light and atoms. Then you can determine which compounds absorb the visible, ultraviolet, or infrared portion of the spectrum.This is the only way to find out which compounds absorb light in the laboratory, since your teacher wasn't ready for it. Of course, the implications of these experiments are very practical.Another practical example is blacklight-emitting diodes. They don't really absorb light, but they generate a beam of light when the right combination of energy and voltage is applied. Use your organic chemistry tutor this time of year.