Category: Spectroscopy

While many viral videos show solutions of crushed vitamin pills glowing under a blacklight, the effect is due to riboflavin (vitamin B2), not vitamin B-12. In fact, vitamin B-12, or cobalamin, is a poorly fluorescent molecule that exhibits only extremely weak and short-lived light emission.

The average adult human body contains 4–6 grams of iron, making its accurate measurement a critical task in many fields. The maximum absorbance of iron is not a fixed value for the element itself but depends on the specific chemical form, known as a complex, into which it is converted for spectrophotometric analysis. This process is vital for applications ranging from environmental monitoring to pharmaceutical quality control.

According to several scientific studies, the distinct UV absorption maximums for vitamin D are typically observed in the 264–266 nm range. This property is fundamental to the analytical techniques used to quantify vitamin D levels in various samples, from food products to clinical specimens.

The common food coloring Red 40, also known as Allura Red AC, exhibits its maximum absorbance in the green-blue region of the visible light spectrum. This characteristic property is critical for both its use in food manufacturing and its analysis in a laboratory through techniques like spectrophotometry.