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View Full Version : Extinction coeffiecient


askquestion
Aug 2, 2007, 12:46 AM
Hello,
What is the importance of extinction coefficient? And molar extinction coefficient? If the value is too large like 100000,what information we get from it?

Capuchin
Aug 2, 2007, 12:50 AM
The extinction coefficient describes how well a substance scatters and absorbs EM radiation. It's a function of the material and the wavelength of the EM.

Something like glass would have a very low extinction coefficient for visible light as it is hardly absorbed or scattered even through very thick panes of glass, whereas something like wood would have a very high coefficient, since almost all light is scattered and absorbed within a very small distance.