The word "absorbance" is spelled with the letter "a" followed by "bsorb" and then "ance." The "a" is pronounced with the open front unrounded vowel sound which is transcribed as /æ/. Next, the "bsorb" is pronounced with the voiced bilabial fricative sound at the start, which is transcribed as /b/, followed by the unvoiced sibilant sound, transcribed as /s/, and the open-mid back unrounded vowel sound, transcribed as /ɔ/. Finally, the "ance" is pronounced with the unvoiced sibilant sound at the end, transcribed as /əns/.
Absorbance is a scientific term that refers to the measurement or quantification of the ability of a material or substance to absorb light at a specific wavelength. It is commonly used in spectrophotometry, a technique that determines the concentration of a substance in a solution by measuring the amount of light that is absorbed or transmitted through it.
The absorbance value is represented by a dimensionless unit called the absorbance unit (AU) or the optical density (OD). It is directly related to the concentration of the absorbing substance within the solution. The greater the concentration, the higher the absorbance value will be.
Absorbance is determined using a spectrophotometer, an instrument that emits light at a specific wavelength and measures the intensity of the light before and after it passes through the sample. The difference in intensity is used to calculate the absorbance value.
The relationship between absorbance and concentration is described by the Beer-Lambert law, which states that absorbance is directly proportional to the concentration and path length of the solution. This principle forms the basis for quantitative analysis in various fields including chemistry, biochemistry, and environmental science.
In summary, absorbance is a measurement that indicates the amount of light absorbed by a substance at a specific wavelength. It is crucial in determining the concentration of analytes in solutions and is widely used in laboratory research and analysis.
The word "absorbance" originates from the verb “absorb,” which can be traced back to the Latin word "absorbere". "Absorbere" is formed by combining the prefix "ab-" (meaning "away" or "off") with the verb "sorbere" (meaning "to suck in" or "to swallow up"). Over time, the noun form "absorption" emerged, referring to the process of being absorbed. From "absorption" came the noun "absorbance", specifically used in scientific terminology to measure the amount of light absorbed by a substance.