Final answer:
Cobalt's molecular structure selectively absorbs yellow light and reflects or transmits blue and violet light, due to the energy level matches between light photons and cobalt's electron orbitals.
Step-by-step explanation:
The behavior of cobalt in blocking yellow light while transmitting violet light is related to the absorption of light by its electronic structure. Cobalt, like other compounds, has a molecular and atomic arrangement that determines which wavelengths of light it absorbs and which it reflects or transmits. This is due to the fact that the color observed from a compound is the result of transmitted or reflected light, and the absorbed light is its complementary color.
For cobalt specifically, its molecular structure selectively absorbs yellow light due to the specific energy levels of its electrons. When light hits the cobalt compound, photons with energy levels that match the energy gap between electron orbitals in cobalt are absorbed. Since yellow light is the complementary color to blue, the cobalt compound absorbs the yellow light and, as a consequence, it reflects or transmits blue light, which includes violet light wavelengths.
Thus, according to the provided information, the most accurate statement would be A) Cobalt selectively absorbs yellow light due to its molecular structure. This absorption is due to the energies of the photons that correspond to yellow light, which can cause transitions in the electron arrangement in the cobalt compound, whereas it will not absorb the more energetic photons corresponding to blue and violet light.