Wavelength Of Light Lab Report

The world is full of a multitude of colors that are used for both practical and aesthetic purposes. The colors that are seen when looking at different objects are due to the ability of the compounds in those objects to absorb specific wavelengths of light. In other words, the colors that are seen are the ones that are not absorbed. The wavelengths of light that are absorbed are determined by the electrons in a compound.1 As electrons move around, they can absorb energy and become excited. The energy, and thus the wavelength of light, the electrons absorb is determined by the type of atoms found in the compound and how those atoms are bound together. Different environments for electrons will also determine how much of a particular wavelength of light can be absorbed, a parameter which is reflected …show more content…
The increase in concentration leads to more electrons in the sample which can then absorb more light at a particular wavelength. Thus, there should be a relationship between the concentration of the compound being studied and its absorbance. This relationship is best determined using a wavelength of light in a region of the visible spectrum where the maximum absorbance is observed. This wavelength is known as λmax and is most sensitive to the changes in concentration.
The purpose of this experiment was to study the absorbance of CuSO4. Because copper compounds tend to be blue in color,
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it was hypothesized that the CuSO4 would have a λmax with a longer wavelength corresponding to a color more in the range of orange or red. Once the best wavelength for studying
CuSO4 was determined, it could then be used to examine the relationship between the absorbance and concentration of the compound and use that relationship to calculate desired information for unknown