People ask me what A. does for work. Today I finally asked him to explain. I wrote down whatever I partially understood from our conversation.

Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter.

“Electromagnetic” is electric fields and magnetic fields, which are always present together.

An electric field is the area around an electric charge. Protons have a charge (a positive one), and electrons have a charge (a negative one). Any charge creates an electric field.

Every electron rotates, or “spins”. This creates a magnetic field. Each “spin” is either up, or down. Every UP is paired with every DOWN, which neutralizes their magnetic field. So IF you have any electrons left unpaired, it maintains a magnetic field. These molecules with unpaired electrons are called radicals.

Soooooo, every charge has an electric field, and because the electrons are spinning, it has a magnetic field.

LIGHT is a constantly changing electromagnetic field. The frequency of the change is what determines if it’s categorized as (from low to high): radio waves, microwaves, infrared, VISIBLE LIGHT, ultraviolet light, x-ray, and gamma rays.

A. uses some kind of light (usually microwaves) and a high field magnet to interact with matter, to learn more about that thing’s properties.

He does EPR, Electron paramagnetic resonance or electron spin resonance, to make the spin of the electrons freeze (using the magnet), then switch the spin direction of the electrons (using microwaves). The point at which the magnet and microwaves work together to make the switch tells us the properties of the matter being studied.

In conclusion, A. studies Physical Chemistry (using physics to look at chemical systems). He does EPR to use the electronic spin in Manganese (an atom) and in radicals, of a protein found in plants, to learn more about that protein (these particular proteins are involved in Photosynthesis).


IN ULTRA SIMPLISTIC TERMS:

Physical Chemistry is the Kitchen.
The Magnet is the oven in the Kitchen
Microwaves (not as in microwave ovens) are the stovetop.
Spectroscopy is cooking.
EPR is the particular type of cooking utensils used.
Quantum mechanics is the recipe.
Dr. B. is the kitchen manager, and A. is one of the chefs.