Beer-Lambert Law:
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The Beer-Lambert Law describes the relationship between the absorption of light and the properties of the material through which the light is traveling. It states that the absorbance of a solution is directly proportional to the concentration of the absorbing species in the solution and the path length.
The calculator uses the Beer-Lambert Law equation:
Where:
Explanation: The equation calculates how much radiation is transmitted through a solution based on its concentration, the path length, and the material's ability to absorb light at a specific wavelength.
Details: Calculating transmitted radiation intensity is crucial in spectroscopy, chemical analysis, and various scientific applications where light absorption measurements are used to determine concentration or study material properties.
Tips: Enter all values in the appropriate units. Intensity values should be in W/m²·sr, molar extinction coefficient in m²/mol, thickness in meters, and concentration in mol/m³. All values must be positive.
Q1: What is the molar extinction coefficient?
A: The molar extinction coefficient is a measure of how strongly a chemical species absorbs light at a particular wavelength. It is specific to each substance and wavelength.
Q2: Why use exponential function in the formula?
A: The exponential function accounts for the logarithmic relationship between absorbance and concentration/path length, which is fundamental to the Beer-Lambert Law.
Q3: What are typical values for molar extinction coefficients?
A: Molar extinction coefficients vary widely depending on the substance and wavelength, ranging from near 0 for non-absorbing species to over 100,000 m²/mol for strongly absorbing compounds.
Q4: Are there limitations to the Beer-Lambert Law?
A: Yes, the law assumes monochromatic light, dilute solutions, and that the absorbing species do not interact with each other. It may not hold for very concentrated solutions.
Q5: How is this used in practical applications?
A: This principle is widely used in spectrophotometry for quantitative analysis, determining concentrations of solutions, and in various fields including chemistry, biology, and environmental science.