Electric Dichroism Spectroscopy

Journal article, 1977

Legrand-Grosjean circular dichroism spectrometers are easily converted to detect electric dichroism (ELD), i.e. anisotropic absorption due to an external electric field. The sensitivity enables the studying of small molecules with dipole moments or anisotropic polarisabilities. The observed ELD is in part due to the orientation of the absorbing transition dipole (the orientational distribution being given by the interaction between the dipole and the electric field) but contributions due to perturbations (type Stark) may generally not be neglected. The method is predicted to become an important complement to LD studies in oriented matrix, to evaluate directions of transitions moments, but other applications are also possible. The experimental qualifications are demonstrated on two different species, nitrobenzene and Cu(II) ethylenediamine (acetylacetone)2.