Knowledge Bank

Acenaphthene crystals are orthorhombic with both the (010) and (001) faces well-developed and the intensity of absorption along all three principal absorption directions have been determined. This system allows a unique opportunity to differentiate between transitions polarized along in-plane axes of the molecule; long axis transitions are polarized along the b crystal axis while short axis transitions are in the ac plane. The room temperature spectrum of acenaphthene single crystals in the wavelength region 3400 {\AA} to 2200 {\AA} will be discussed and compared with available data from the spectrum of naphthalene.