Photodissociation
Chemical reaction in which a compound is broken down by light / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Photolysis?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
SHOW ALL QUESTIONS
This article is about the chemical process. For the nuclear reaction, see Photodisintegration.
Photodissociation, photolysis, photodecomposition, or photofragmentation is a chemical reaction in which molecules of a chemical compound are broken down by photons. It is defined as the interaction of one or more photons with one target molecule.
Photodissociation is not limited to visible light. Any photon with sufficient energy can affect the chemical bonds of a chemical compound. Since a photon's energy is inversely proportional to its wavelength, electromagnetic radiations with the energy of visible light or higher, such as ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma rays can induce such reactions.