Article
Article
Band spectrum
Article By:
Meggers, William F. Formerly, National Bureau of Standards.
Watson, William W. Formerly, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Last reviewed:October 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.071700
A spectrum consisting of groups or bands of closely spaced lines. Band spectra are characteristic of molecular gases or chemical compounds. When the light emitted or absorbed by molecules is viewed through a spectroscope with small dispersion, the spectrum appears to consist of very wide asymmetrical lines called bands. These bands usually have a maximum intensity near one edge, called a band head, and a gradually decreasing intensity on the other side. In some band systems the intensity shading is toward shorter waves, in others toward longer waves. Each band system consists of a series of nearly equally spaced bands called progressions; corresponding bands of different progressions form groups called sequences.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
