Question

This experiment involved fluorescence as a way to get data for use in equilibrium calculations In this experiment, you also examined how fluorescence works relative to intermolecular interactions. Please describe how you understand fluorescence relative to what you know about quantum mechanics and intermolecular interactions:

Answer 1

Fluorescence involves an electron in an atom or molecule absorbing a photon, moving to a higher, often metastable energy state, then emitting a photon of lower energy after nonradiative decay, useful in high-resolution fluorescence microscopy.

Step-by-step explanation:

Fluorescence is an atomic process where an atom or molecule absorbs a photon, causing an electron to move to a higher energy state. This excited state is often a metastable state, where the electron lives longer before returning to a lower energy state. Unlike ordinary atomic emission, when the electron transitions back down to its ground state during fluorescence, it emits a photon of lower energy than the one absorbed, often visible as light of a certain color, which can be used in techniques such as fluorescence microscopy to achieve high-resolution imaging of specimens.

During this process, energy is lost through nonradiative decay before the photon emission, which explains the energy difference between absorbed and emitted light. Kinetic and potential energy plays a role in the movement and electronic configuration of atoms and molecules as they undergo this process. A Jablonski diagram can be used to illustrate these transitions and energy releases in fluorescence.