Fluorescence

Fluorescence

Description

A type of Luminescence in which an substance absorbs light from one wavelength and concurrently re-emits radiation at a longer wavelength. For example, irradiation with ultraviolet light typically causes an emission in the visible region. This change in wavelength is called the Stokes shift. If the emitted radiation continues after the irradiation source is turned off, then the emission is called Phosphorescence. Autofluorescent materials fluoresce without the aid of a Fluorochrome. Examples of materials with autofluorescence include: Fluorite, Calcium carbonate, Indian yellow, Madder, Shellac, and aged Linseed oil.

Synonyms and Related Terms

fluorescent; Stokes shift; Fluoreszenz (Deut.); fluorescence (Fr.) fluorescenza (It.); fluorescentie (Ned.); fluorescencja (Pol.); fluorescencja (Port.)

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Walter C. McCrone, John Gustave Delly, The Particle Atlas, W. McCrone Associates, Chicago, IV, 1972

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescence (Accessed Nov. 2, 2005)

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Book and Paper Group, Paper Conservation Catalog, AIC, 1984, 1989

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000