wavelength & chemistry?

Question

(can you tell me more about this from a scientific point of view if possible. )

I can understand the concept of chemistry between people who are attracted to each other (sexually) but what about people of the same sex (heterosexuals) who take an instant liking to each other - whether it be looks, spirituality, whatever. what's behind it?

Answer 1

Hi Scarlett,

First of all, visible light waves consist of a continuous range of wavelengths or frequencies. When a light wave with a single frequency strikes an object, a number of things could happen. The light wave could be absorbed by the object, in which case its energy is converted to heat; the light wave could be reflected by the object; and the light wave could be transmitted by the object. Rarely however does just a single frequency of light strike an object. While it does happen, it is more usual that light of many frequencies or even all frequencies are incident towards the surface of objects. When this occurs, objects have a tendency to selectively absorb, reflect or transmit light of certain frequencies. That is, one object might reflect green light while absorbing all other frequencies of visible light. Another object might selectively transmit blue light while absorbing all other frequencies of visible light. The manner in which visible light interacts with an object is dependent upon the frequency of the light and the nature of the atoms of the object.

"White" or natural light is made up of different colours (as in a rainbow) and Isaac Newton showed that these could be shown by shining white light through a prism.

What "colour" we see an object depends on what wavelength of light it does not absorb and that depends on what the chemistry of the object is. This is because the electrons in a substance will vibrate at a certain frequency depending on what the construction (i.e. what the chemistry) of the atom is. Accordingly this will either absorb (interfere) or coincide with the wavelength of a particular colour.

Thus we will always see different chemicals as different colours (ie. wavelengths).