Spectrophotometry. Spectroscopy, and the Spectrometer

Spectrophotometry. Spectroscopy, and the Spectrometer Spectroscopy is the branch of science concerned with the investigation and measurement spectra produced when mater interacts with or emits electromagnetic radiation Meanwhile, spectrophotometry is the measurement of color in a solution by determining the amount of light absorbed in the ultraviolet, infrared, or visible spectrum. A spectrophotometer is an instrument often used to compare the intensity of light from a regulated or standard source with that of the intensity of wavelengths in a particular spectrum of light. The study of spectrophotometry is built on the belief that each chemical element will have its own spectrum. Astronomical spectroscopy was chemists’ attempts to analyze the materials on Earth, along with scientists’ interest in the nature of color. Around 1850, Joseph Fraunhofer mounted a prism in front of the objective lens of a small telescope, which made a crude spectroscope. He was able to find that when the light from the sun and bright stars were analyzed, there were characteristic absorption lines present in the spectrum produced. There was further advancement in 1859 when Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen made an unexpected discovery. They were able to identify the cause of the dark lines seen in the solar spectra. These two scientists were able to find that every chemical element produces a unique spectrum, which allowed them to determine that this could be a powerful tool for determining the chemical composition of the sun and the fixed stars. Spectroscopy appeared to have been a new promising tool for the new science of astrophysics, but was hampered by their equipment. As equipment improved, they were able to learn more. At National Technologies Laboratories in 1940, Arnold J. Beckman and his colleagues invented the spectrophotometer. The discovery of the spectrophotometer was the company’s greatest discovery. Before 1940, the chemical analysis process was a long and