Can someone explain to me "color" in chemistry terms?

Question

Can someone explain to me "color" in chemistry terms? I read somewhere that it has something to do with the atoms and when light beams to the protons and when it reflects out, it gives a different color. But I can't find the book now. :/
Someone help?

Answer 1

The colour of materials does indeed have something to do with the way atoms react when photons hit them. Primarily, atoms may absorb particular frequencies of light. Those frequencies are then missing from the reflected light you see from them. So if an atom or molecule absorbs the red end of the spectrum, it might appear greenish or bluish in colour.

This is more common for molecules than atoms, because the added vibrational modes in molecular structures allow for additional small amounts of energy to be stored; this means that instead of a single line at an atom's natural absorption frequency, the molecule can absorb light in a band containing that line.

Incidentally, the energy of the photons absorbed by the molecule typically winds up as vibrational energy, which is spread throughout the material. Just in case you were wondering where it goes.

Answer 2

If the energy of a light beam is apropriate,i.e., has the right magnitude, this beam will cause electrons on the outer shell of the atom to be excited. excitation will cause the electrons to go to a higher energy level. Conditions for this transfer of electrons are the right amount of energy and vacant electronic shell to be occupied.
If an atom or a molecule absorb part of the visible light to excite its electrons, the remaining part of the visible spectra will compose what is called the complementary colors, and these colors are what we really see.

Answer 3

The Color reflects off the surface of the object giving it a certain color depending on what end of the spectrum it deflects from.