Transparency [ENDORSED]

[ClaireHW]

Does anyone know what makes certain substances see through or transparent? What about certain molecular structures makes substances that way?
Thanks
(Claire Woolson 3J)

[Chem_Mod]

Great question. I will mention this when we do spectroscopy.

Transparent, to the human eye, means visible light passes through.

Materials that do not absorb light in the visible region are transparent because that light passes through.

[Kaelie Blanes-Ronda 2L]

The way we see color is that the material/object is able to absorb all the different color wavelengths except the color that we see which is reflected off of the material. Ex. a red shirt absorbs orange-violet wavelengths but reflects the red wavelength which permits us to see the shirt as red. Surface atoms in these materials have a slight vibration which allows for some wavelengths to be absorbed and others to be reflected. For transparent objects the energy of the light passing through the vibrating atoms is able to go through the object allowing it to be clear/see through.