HOMO/LUMO
Well kiddo, do you know how we see things around us? It's because of light! Light is basically made up of little packets of energy called photons.
Now, when we talk about homo/lumo, we are actually talking about the energy levels of molecules.
Molecules are made up of atoms, and each atom has something called an electron. These electrons are like little particles that spin around the nucleus.
Some electrons are closer to the nucleus than others, and this makes them have different energy levels. The electrons in the highest energy level are called valence electrons.
So, when we talk about homo/lumo, we are actually talking about the highest energy level in a molecule.
"HOMO" stands for "highest occupied molecular orbital". This means it's the energy level that has electrons in it.
"LUMO" stands for "lowest unoccupied molecular orbital". This means it's the energy level that doesn't have any electrons in it yet.
Now, the difference in energy between the HOMO and LUMO is really important! This is because when a molecule absorbs a photon of light, it can use that energy to move an electron from the HOMO to the LUMO.
This is how we can see different colors! Each color of light has a different amount of energy, so it can move electrons from the HOMO to the LUMO in different molecules.
So, even though it sounds like a complicated word, homo/lumo is really just talking about the energy levels of molecules and how they interact with light.
Now, when we talk about homo/lumo, we are actually talking about the energy levels of molecules.
Molecules are made up of atoms, and each atom has something called an electron. These electrons are like little particles that spin around the nucleus.
Some electrons are closer to the nucleus than others, and this makes them have different energy levels. The electrons in the highest energy level are called valence electrons.
So, when we talk about homo/lumo, we are actually talking about the highest energy level in a molecule.
"HOMO" stands for "highest occupied molecular orbital". This means it's the energy level that has electrons in it.
"LUMO" stands for "lowest unoccupied molecular orbital". This means it's the energy level that doesn't have any electrons in it yet.
Now, the difference in energy between the HOMO and LUMO is really important! This is because when a molecule absorbs a photon of light, it can use that energy to move an electron from the HOMO to the LUMO.
This is how we can see different colors! Each color of light has a different amount of energy, so it can move electrons from the HOMO to the LUMO in different molecules.
So, even though it sounds like a complicated word, homo/lumo is really just talking about the energy levels of molecules and how they interact with light.