Comments on: why potassium dichromate is orange in colour? http://eatpotassiumrichfood.com/healthy-diet/why-potassium-dichromate-is-orange-in-colour/ A Healthy Eating Guide Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:28:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: pisgahchemist http://eatpotassiumrichfood.com/healthy-diet/why-potassium-dichromate-is-orange-in-colour/comment-page-1/#comment-7323 pisgahchemist Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:08:32 +0000 http://eatpotassiumrichfood.com/healthy-diet/why-potassium-dichromate-is-orange-in-colour/#comment-7323 Yes, but why does it absorb in the range that allows "orange" light to be reflected to your eye? The color of chromate (yellow) and dichromate (orange) comes from the chromium. In particular from the arrangement of electrons in the 3d-sublevel. You were probably taught that the d-orbitals are all at the same energy, and that's true if there were not other atoms attached to chromium. Since chromium is in a polyatomic ion which has water molecules attached to it, there is some splitting of the energy levels of the chromium's d-orbitals and it is the difference in these two energy levels that absorbs certain wavelengths of light and not others. The light that is not absorbed is orange, which is what you see when you look at solutions of the dichromate ion. Yes, but why does it absorb in the range that allows "orange" light to be reflected to your eye?

The color of chromate (yellow) and dichromate (orange) comes from the chromium. In particular from the arrangement of electrons in the 3d-sublevel.

You were probably taught that the d-orbitals are all at the same energy, and that’s true if there were not other atoms attached to chromium. Since chromium is in a polyatomic ion which has water molecules attached to it, there is some splitting of the energy levels of the chromium’s d-orbitals and it is the difference in these two energy levels that absorbs certain wavelengths of light and not others.

The light that is not absorbed is orange, which is what you see when you look at solutions of the dichromate ion.

]]> By: ferrous lad http://eatpotassiumrichfood.com/healthy-diet/why-potassium-dichromate-is-orange-in-colour/comment-page-1/#comment-7324 ferrous lad Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:08:32 +0000 http://eatpotassiumrichfood.com/healthy-diet/why-potassium-dichromate-is-orange-in-colour/#comment-7324 it absorbs blue-green light and scatters/reflects/transmitts orange lcolored light to your eye (in the range of 600 nm wavelengths) it absorbs blue-green light and scatters/reflects/transmitts orange lcolored light to your eye (in the range of 600 nm wavelengths)

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