Light is absorbed by a molecule what happens?

The electronic configuration changes. During excitation electron spin remains unchanged.
Photochemistry, the branch of chemistry that deals with the chemical processes that are caused
by the absorption of light energy. The process by which a photochemical reaction is carried out is
called photolysis. Photolysis is usually initiated by infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light. A
primary photochemical reaction is the immediate consequence of the absorption of light.
Subsequent chemical changes are called secondary processes.
Photochemical reactions are utilized in synthetic chemistry to produce various organic molecules.
In addition, many common processes are photochemical in nature and have important
applications. For example:
Photosynthesis involves the absorption of light by the chlorophyll in plants to produce
carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water.
Photography uses the action of light on grains of silver chloride or silver bromide to produce an
image.
Ozone formation in the upper atmosphere results from action of light on oxygen molecules.
Solar cells, which are used to power satellites and space vehicles, convert light energy from the
sun to chemical energy and then release that energy in the form of electrical energy.
HISTORY
Important developments in the study of photochemistry occurred in the early 1800s. In 1817 the
German physicist Theodor von Grotthus recognized that in order for light to be effective in
producing a chemical change it had to be absorbed. In 1841 the American chemist John William
Draper studied the reaction between moist hydrogen and chlorine gases. This reaction was
observed first about 1801 and may have been the first recognized photochemical reaction. Draper
noted that after a certain inhibition period the rate of the reaction was proportional to the intensity
Draper law), which states that the amount of photochemical reaction is proportional to the
quantity of light absorbed.
The development of the quantitative aspects of photochemistry began in earnest with the
enunciation of the quantum theory by Max Planck in 1900 and its elucidation by Albert Einstein
in 1905. Planck, who is regarded as the founder of the quantum theory, espoused that an atom or
a molecule can absorb only fixed quantities (quanta) of light energy. This energy, E, he theorized,
is proportional to the frequency, f, of the light. The energy of a single quantum of radiation is
given by
E = h f,
where h is a proportionality constant that was named "Planck's constant."
Einstein proposed that light can be thought of as consisting of unusual particles called photons.
Each photon of light is said to possess a quantum of energy given by the above relationship.
These conclusions led to the second law of photochemistry, which states that the number of
primary processes resulting from the absorption of light is equal to the number of photons
absorbed. Exceptions to this rule sometimes occur.

Principles[edit]
Light is a type of electromagnetic radiation, a source of energy. The GrotthussDraper
law (for chemists Theodor Grotthuss and John W. Draper) states that light must be
absorbed by a chemical substance in order for a photochemical reaction to take place. For
each photon of light absorbed by a chemical system, no more than one molecule is
activated for a photochemical reaction, as defined by the quantum yield.
Chemical reactions occur only when a molecule is provided the necessary "activation
energy". A simple example can be the combustion of gasoline (a hydrocarbon) into carbon
dioxide and water. In this reaction, the activation energy is provided in the form of heat or
a spark. In case of photochemical reactions light provides the activation energy.
Simplistically, light is one mechanism for providing the activation energy required for
many reactions. If laser light is employed, it is possible to selectively excite a molecule so
as to produce a desired electronic and vibrational state. Equally, the emission from a
particular state may be selectively monitored, providing a measure of the population of
that state. If the chemical system is at low pressure, this enables scientists to observe the
energy distribution of the products of a chemical reaction before the differences in energy
have been smeared out and averaged by repeated collisions.
The absorption of a photon of light by a reactant molecule may also permit a reaction to
occur not just by bringing the molecule to the necessary activation energy, but also by
changing the symmetry of the molecule's electronic configuration, enabling an otherwise
inaccessible reaction path, as described by the WoodwardHoffmann selection rules. A 2+2
cycloaddition reaction is one example of a pericyclic reaction that can be analyzed using
these rules or by the related frontier molecular orbital theory.
Photochemical reactions involve electronic reorganization initiated by electromagnetic
radiation. The reactions are several orders of magnitude faster than thermal reactions;
reactions as fast as 109 seconds and associated processes as fast as 1015 seconds are
often observed.

most chemistry takes place from S1 and T1 excited

states
E = h = hc/
short light corresponds to high energy
S1 have a shorter lifetime
and higher E (10-9 to 10-5)
T1 have a longer lifetime
b/c spin flip req. (10-5 to 10-3)
https://www.princeton.edu/~orggroup/supergroup_pdf/photochemistry.pdf refer fr pic
-If a molecule absorbs energy, it can undergo a reaction or
undergo loss of energy by two methods:
radiative processes-involve emission of a photon
-phosphorescence-relaxation to a lower state with different
multiplicity, such as T1S0 (spin forbidden)

-fluorescence-relaxation to lower state of same multiplicity,

such as S1S0 (spin allowed)
non-radiative processes-no emission
-internal conversion-involves no spin change, such as S1S0
-intersystem crossing-involves change in spin multiplicity
one way competes with phophorescent decay of the lowest triplet
state to the ground state
another way converts the lowest excited singlet state to the lowest
triplet state (competes with fluorescence and IC)[gives access to
triplet state]
-Excitation by E transfer is Sensitization (deactivation is Quenching)

PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy,
normally from the Sun, into chemical energy that can be later released to fuel the
organisms' activities. This chemical energy is stored in carbohydrate molecules, such
as sugars, which are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water .Although photosynthesis
is performed differently by different species, the process always begins when energy from
light is absorbed byproteins called reaction centres that contain
green chlorophyll pigments.

Laws governing Photochemistry

Grotthus-Draper Law:
Only the light which is absorbed by a molecule can be effective in
producing photochemical changes in the molecule.
Stark-Einsteins Law ( Second Law of Photochemistry):
It states that for each photon of light absorbed by a
chemical
system, only one molecule is activated for
a photochemical
reaction. The energy absorbed by
one mole of the reacting molecules
is given by
E=Nhv. This energy is called one einstein.

Interpretation Of Einsteins Law

In terms of Quantum efficiency :
Quantum Efficieny =
No. of molecules reacting in a given time
No.of quantas of light absorbed in the
same time
Experimentally,
=rate of chemical reaction
quanta absorbed per second.

QUANTUM YIELD,
In the photolysis of Cl2 and H2, HCl can be as high as 1 million.
Cl2 + h 2Cl
Cl + H2 HCl + H (exothermic)
H + Cl2 HCl + H
In the photolysis of Br2 and H2, HBr is very low i.e about 0.01

Br2 + h 2Br
Br+ H2 HBr+ H (endothermic)
H + Br2 HBr + Br
The study of chemical reactions, isomerizations and physical behavior that may occur under the
influence of visible and/or ultraviolet light is called Photochemistry. Two fundamental principles
are the foundation for understanding photochemical transformations:

The first law of photochemistry, the Grotthuss-Draper law, states that light must be absorbed by a
compound in order for a photochemical reaction to take place.
The second law of photochemistry, the Stark-Einstein law, states that for each photon of light
absorbed by a chemical system, only one molecule is activated for subsequent reaction. This
"photoequivalence law" was derived by Albert Einstein during his development of the quantum
(photon) theory of light.

The efficiency with which a given photochemical process occurs is given by its Quantum
Yield (). Since many photochemical reactions are complex, and may compete with
unproductive energy loss, the quantum yield is usually specified for a particular event. Thus, we
may define quantum yield as "the number of moles of a stated reactant disappearing, or the
number of moles of a stated product produced, per einstein of monochromatic light absorbed.",
where an einstein is one mole of photons. For example, irradiation of acetone with 313 nm light
(3130 ) gives a complex mixture of products, as shown in the following diagram. The quantum
yield of these products is less than 0.2, indicating there are radiative (fluorescence &
phosphorescence) and non-radiative return pathways (green arrow). The primary photochemical
reaction is the homolytic cleavage of a carbon-carbon bond shown in the top equation. Here the
asterisk represents an electronic excited state, the nature of which will be defined later.

importance