this is the spectrum of hydrogen
notice that there is three distinct emission lines
likewise if argon is put in a tube and subjected to voltage
argon gives of these very characteristic lines
sodium, like from a star, or from a furnace or perhaps in an acetylene flame
will give off these emission lines
I particularly like this graphic
this is sodium from the earth
this is sodium from a nearby galaxy notice that it is the same but moved over a little
This is sodium from a faraway galaxy notice that it is moved over even farther
sodium gives off a characteristic emission spectra and that is the way it is
if the spectrum has been moved, it tells us that the object that emitted the sodium
is moving away from us and furthermore the more it is shifted,
the faster it is moving away from us
this, of course, all related to the expansion of the universe
the boundaries of Solvinski's box are very much not clear, But I would say that the
electromagnetic spectrum probably does not go into Solvinski's box
this is due to engineering marvels of our age and generations and generations of scientists
but I think that (you can run light through rainbows) and diffraction gradients
I think that the electromagnetic spectrum pretty much falls into our understanding
There is some very strange things that go on in Solvinski's box.
We need an example I want to use bullets and we need a set of calibrated targets
let's use vases. there is a thousand vases vase number thousand is so hard
that it is hard to find a bullet that will break it and vase number one;
any bullet will break vase number one. and they are calibrated,
so one through a thousand getting harder and harder.
the vase either breaks or it doesn't. it is a pass fail test
we have a bullet...the bullet will break vase number 495 .. It will break vase number 495
but it won't break vase 496.
So obviously if it will break 495 it will also break 494 and 493 etc etc
so the bullet will break every vase up to 495 but it won't break vase 496
there is an energy associated with the bullet which is related to it weight and its velocity
okay, let's move to a photon
we have a photon and the photon will interact with a certain energy transition
a certain energy transition; it is the energy that matches that transition
so one would say that
"well if it will interact with this energy transition, it should interact with those requiring less energy"
but that is not the case the energy of the photon has to match the
energy of the transition and if it doesn't match... then it doesn't matter anymore
it would be like the bullet that we are using will break vase number 495
but it won't break 494 and won't break 496
so the energy from the electromagnetic radiation has to match and it is doesn't match
it doesn't do anything this is not a particularly difficult concept
this is Solvinski's box and it is not particularly difficult, but it is very important
to understand that the energy from the electromagnetic radiation
has to match the transition or it doesn't do anything.
okay, let's look at the electromagnetic spectrum in a little more detail
X rays are sort of the big bad guys of the electromagnetic spectrum
X rays really too energetic for most molecular structures (whatsoever)
x-rays go through pretty much,,,,well they go through covalent bonds, that is for sure
things like tissue, water, organic materials if they have a lot of water
they don't go through bones they don't really go through wood very well
things that are very dense, with lots of ionic bonds are absorbed by x rays
but x-rays are very powerful.
They are not generated in nature the sun doesn't really produce them
they are not generated here on earth except by instruments
and of course they are used in the medical community to image things that we cannot see otherwise
ie, bones inside the human body and other things
ultraviolet violation is at a frequency where it impacts on covalent bonds
like pi bonds, and sigma bonds are impacted by ultraviolet radiation
so sigma bonds can get activated can go into a higher level
pi bonds can go into a higher level ultraviolet radiation is destructive
in that it breaks down organic material The sun produces tons and tons of UV radiation
but fortunately for us the great majority of it is captured in the stratosphere with ozone
apparently UV radiation striking oxygen forms ozone and then the UV radiation is also
absorbed by the atmosphere
so that by the time the UV radiation reaches the earth there is not much left
and what little there is is right outside of the violet range
and it is useful for things, like for living organisms so insects can use it to see
it is not particularly penetrating, but a little bit
human beings use it to produce vitamin D
so as we go down the electromagnetic spectrum we get to visible light
visible light is like the goldilocks zone of the electromagnetic spectrum
visible light impacts upon the valence electrons and has the potential to do chemical reactions
the overwhelming example of this is that the blue and violet, what we see as blue and violet
are used by plants to capture energy. They (plants) take the energy from the blue and the violet
along with carbon dioxide and water and make it into glucose
visible light comes from the sun in absolutely enormous amounts
and it is not particularly absorbed by anything coming down through the atmosphere
it is absorbed and dispersed by water a little bit but it goes through water for the most part
enormous amounts of regular light reach the surface and they bounce around and bounce around
and there is light absolutely everywhere especially during the day.
our eyes are designed to capture these random photons and there are chemicals
in our eyes that make conformational changes and produce neural impulses and allows us to see.
it is not too hard to imagine that these molecules have the potential of absorbing different
frequencies differently and then our brain is able to see colors
let's turn our attention to this model. this is propane. It is flammable and used in Barbeques
a propane molecule kind of has a life of its own like it wiggles and jiggles
the bonds stretch and bend
textbooks describe these as being on springs and following harmonic motions
and then the springs have different sizes both for their length and their stretchiness
and the harmonic motions of the stretches correspond to the frequencies
which are in the IR range. and that is fine but I think that we have to remember that
changes in the conformation have to do with changes in the electron structures
these are quantum changes
electrons appear/ disappear on one level and appear on another level
and a quanta of energy is either absorbed or released so as the molecule is wiggling and changing
electrons are going from state "A" to state "B" releasing and absorbing a quanta of energy
in the infrared region.
let's move to this guy. this is a block of wood. .. similar to the propane
it has molecules n it that are moving and jostling
the great majority of the electromagnetic radiation is radiated and absorbed within the block
but right along the surface, there will be infrared radiation which is radiated out
my studio is surrounded by things like this and it will also be giving off infrared radiation
so the block is in equilibrium with itself and the block is in equilibrium with the room
for this radiation ... this of course very much relates to heat and temperature
if this block is put in a situation that is perfectly thermally insulated, like in a vacuum
it will come into equilibrium for the temperature with its surroundings because of this radiation
I never really understood this until I made this video
so.... we have electromagnetic radiation and chemical behavior and Solvinski's box
I think that electromagnetic radiation .... I think it falls within our senses
and we have to give credit to generations of scientists and generations of engineers
because it is through instruments for the most part
but I think that we can understand electromagnetic radiation
Turning our attention to chemical behavior, I think that there is a similar augment that
we can understand chemical behavior, things that happen plants that grow
being able to see the world around us and again instruments help us with this
but to go from one to the other we have to climb into Solvinski's box
I so not think that at a scientist should ever be dogmatic about anything
but my strong feeling is that the relationship between electromagnetic radiation and
molecular structure is truly authentic education more than other types of education in chemistry