ABSTRACT
The authors know from their observation of rainbows that visible light (white light) is composed of a continuum of colors from violet to red. If a beam of white light is passed through a beaker of water, it remains white. If potassium permanganate is added to the water, the white light appears purple after it passes through the solution. The subject of spectroscopy is the study of the interaction of electromagnetic radiation and matter. The nature of electromagnetic radiation baffled scientists for many years. At times, light appears to behave like a wave; at other times, it behaves as though it were composed of small particles. There are literally hundreds of types of transitions and types of spectroscopy used to investigate matter. The uniqueness of the frequencies and amount of each frequency absorbed and emitted by a given chemical species are the basis for the use of spectroscopy for identification of chemicals.
