Biology 1002B Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Electromagnetic Spectrum, Opsin, Channelrhodopsin
16 Aug 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Light is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans can detect with their eyes (400 to 700 nm). Light has no mass; behaves as both particles and waves (wave of photons). Relationship between wavelength and energy content of a photon. There is an inverse relationship between the wavelength of light and the energy of the photons: the longer the wavelength, the lower the energy of the photons it contains. Shorter-wavelength blue light consists of photons of higher energy than longer- wavelength red light. The absorption of light occurs when the energy of the photon is transferred to an electron within a molecule which excites the electron, moving it from its ground state to an excited state (higher energy level). Molecular characteristic of pigments that make them able to absorb light. Conjugated system region where carbon atoms are covalently bonded to each other with alternating single and double bonds resulting in the delocalization of electrons.
