Using an audio processing method, the researcher converted the visible light emitted by
The researcher will present his findings at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2023 runs from 26 to 30 March.
Previously, the researcher combined his passion for music,chemistry and transformed the natural vibrations of molecules into a musical composition. “I observed visual representations of discrete wavelengths of light emitted by elements such as scandium. They were magnificent and complex. “I wanted to turn them into music,” said the authors of the project.
Elements emit visible light when they areare under voltage. It consists of several individual wavelengths or specific colors with brightness levels that are unique to each element. But on paper, the sets of wavelengths for different elements are difficult to distinguish visually. The task is especially complicated for transition metals, which have thousands of individual colors, explains the study's author. Converting light into sound frequencies is another way to detect differences between elements.
To keep as much complexity as possibleand the nuances of elemental spectra, Smith consulted with scientists, engineers and musicians. With their help, he created computer code for sound that, in real time, converted the light data of each element into mixtures of notes. Discrete color wavelengths became individual sine waves, whose frequency corresponded to the frequency of light and their amplitude to their brightness.
Since some items had hundredsor thousands of frequencies, the code allowed notes to be generated in real time, forming harmonies and rhythms as they were mixed. “As a result, simpler elements such as hydrogen and helium sound vaguely like musical chords, but the rest have a more complex set of sounds,” explains the author of the project. For example, calcium sounds like a bell ringing, and zinc reminded the engineer of an “angelic choir.”
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Cover illustration: W. Walker Smith and Allen Barker