Eli5: What chemical or molecular properties of a material cause it to be transparent

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Eli5: What chemical or molecular properties of a material cause it to be transparent

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Anonymous 0 Comments

It cannot scatter, absorb, or reflect light.

Absorption happens because something somewhere in it can vibrate easily at the frequency of the light. Could be electrons, or the molecule shape itself, or even the spacing between the molecules.

Reflection happens when the electrons, instead of vibrating, can move freely fast enough to move with the light, and this absorbs and reemits the light. This makes metals the most common reflective surface.

Scattering happens, usually, when a surface is uneven. Sugar, salt, or ground glass scatter light and so are not transparent. By making them smooth and removing voids they can become transparent again.

Anonymous 0 Comments

It cannot scatter, absorb, or reflect light.

Absorption happens because something somewhere in it can vibrate easily at the frequency of the light. Could be electrons, or the molecule shape itself, or even the spacing between the molecules.

Reflection happens when the electrons, instead of vibrating, can move freely fast enough to move with the light, and this absorbs and reemits the light. This makes metals the most common reflective surface.

Scattering happens, usually, when a surface is uneven. Sugar, salt, or ground glass scatter light and so are not transparent. By making them smooth and removing voids they can become transparent again.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Great question.

Stuff is made of atoms – which have electrons in them. Electrons have different energy levels depending on the material and it’s temperature, etc.

As light is traveling around it hits things. If the energy level of the electron is close to the energy level of the light, it will interact with it, causing the material to absorb the energy.

If it is not, the light will pass through, making it transparent.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Great question.

Stuff is made of atoms – which have electrons in them. Electrons have different energy levels depending on the material and it’s temperature, etc.

As light is traveling around it hits things. If the energy level of the electron is close to the energy level of the light, it will interact with it, causing the material to absorb the energy.

If it is not, the light will pass through, making it transparent.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Something is transparent because photons are unaffected by the thing they’re going through One way that can happen is if the photon literally passes between the atoms because they’re aligned just perfectly, aka, a crystal.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Something is transparent because photons are unaffected by the thing they’re going through One way that can happen is if the photon literally passes between the atoms because they’re aligned just perfectly, aka, a crystal.