olivia wants to find out whether a substance will fluoresce. she says she should put it in a microwave oven. do you agree with her? why or why not?
LectureNotes said Olivia wants to find out whether a substance will fluoresce. She says she should put it in a microwave oven. Do you agree with her? Why or why not?
Answer:
Putting a substance in a microwave oven to check if it will fluoresce is not the correct approach. Fluorescence is a specific phenomenon where a substance absorbs light at a certain wavelength and re-emits it at a longer wavelength. The interaction with microwave radiation is different from the phenomenon of fluorescence.
Microwaves work by causing water molecules in food to vibrate, generating heat through friction. Placing a substance in a microwave oven may alter its chemical properties, but it won’t help in determining if it will fluoresce.
To test for fluorescence, it is better to shine a light with a specific wavelength known to cause fluorescence onto the substance in a dark room. If the substance absorbs the light and emits light of a longer wavelength, then it fluoresces. UV light is commonly used for this purpose, as many fluorescent substances respond to UV radiation by emitting visible light.