GENERATION

 Ultraviolet radiation is produced by high-temperature surfaces, such as

the Sun, in a continuous spectrum
 Artificially, UV light is usually produced with mercury-vapor and deuterium
lamps. The trouble is that these lamps produce a certain visible light
content.
 One can make 'pure' UV ray of a single wavelength using a laser.
 Usually a frequency-doubled argon gas is used to produce a continuous
wave beam of UV light.
 Tanning booths, black lights, curing lamps, germicidal lamps, ultra
violet fluorescent and incandescent sources, and some types of laser are
artificial sources of UV rays.
 Most common way of producing UV light is passing an electric current
through vaporized mercury or some other gas.

DETECTION
 A safer way to detect UV light is with a UV detector. They work by letting
varying amounts of light through the flow cell to the light sensor
depending on the amount of UV light traveling through it.

 Narrowband Radiometers, Broadband Radiometers, Spectrophotometers

are used to detect UV radiations and are also used to measure them.

 The photomultiplier tube is a commonly used detector in UV-Vis

spectroscopy.

 UV rays can also be detected by using tonic water. This activity uses tonic
water to demonstrate UV light presence. When a photon of UV energy is
absorbed by the quinine, it is reemitted in tonic water as a photon of
visible light. This process is called fluorescence. The extent of fluorescence
that occurs is related to the amount of UV light.

 Ferrous Xylenol-orange Gelatin (FXG) gel is also a UV detector because it is

sensitive to radiation.
ADVANTAGES
 UV rays trigger vitamin D. UV from the Sun is needed by our bodies to
produce vitamin D. Vitamin D helps strengthen bones, muscles and the
body’s immune system.
 It is used in photography and in electrical and electronics industry as well.
 It helps in some skin conditions. UV is used in the treatment of skin
diseases. This is a condition where the skin sheds its cells too quickly and
develops itchy, scaly patches. Exposure to UV slows the growth of the skin
cells and relieves the symptoms.
 UV rays are used for the removal of bacteria from water as they are so
powerful that they destroy the pathogens in water for the purification of
water. This process uses very less electricity and is cost effective.
 It aids some insects’ navigation. Many insects use UV emissions from
celestial objects as references for navigating in flight. This is why a light
sometimes attracts flying insects by disrupting their navigation process.
 It is useful for disinfection and sterilization. UV has positive applications in
the fields of disinfection and sterilization. UV can effectively ‘kill’ micro
organisms such as viruses and bacteria.
 Helps some animals’ vision – Some animals (including birds, bees and
reptiles) are able to see into the near UV light to locate many ripe fruits,
flowers and seeds that stand out more strongly from the background.
 It improves human mood by producing certain chemicals (tryptamines) in
body.
DISADVANTAGES
 It causes skin cancer. UV rays are an environmental human carcinogen. It’s
the most prominent and universal cancer-causing agent in our
environment.
 It causes sunburn. UV rays burn the skin. Sunburn is a burn that occurs
when skin cells are damaged. This damage to the skin is caused by the
absorption of energy from UV rays.
 It damages immune system. Over-exposure to UV radiation has a harmful
suppressing effect on the immune system.
 It damages eyes. Prolonged exposure to UV or high intensities of UV
damages the tissues of eyes and can cause a ‘burning’ of the eye surface,
called ‘snow blindness’.
 It ages skin. UV rays speeds up the aging of skin, since the UV
destroys collagen and connective tissue beneath the top layer of the skin.
This causes wrinkles, brown ‘liver’ spots and loss of skin elasticity.

 It weakens plastics. Many polymers used in consumer items (including

plastics, nylon and polystyrene) are broken down or lose strength due to
exposure to UV light.
 It fades colours. Many pigments (used for colouring food, cosmetics,
fabric, plastic, paint, ink and other materials) and dyes absorb UV and
change colour.
PROPERTIES OF UV RADIATION
 Ultraviolet radiation is that portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum extending from the violet, or short-wavelength, end of the
visible light range to the X-ray region.
 Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is undetectable by the human eye, although,
when it falls on certain materials, it may cause them to fluoresce—i.e.,
emit electromagnetic radiation of lower energy, such as visible light.
Ultraviolet rays are invisible to most humans, although insects, birds, and
some mammals can see near-UV.
 UV radiation is present in sunlight constituting about 10% of the total light
output of the Sun.

 There are 3 main types of UV rays:

 UVA rays which age skin cells and can damage their DNA.
 UV-B rays which have slightly more energy than UVA rays. They are also
thought to cause most skin cancers.
 UV-C rays which have more energy than the other types of UV rays. They
are not normally a cause of skin cancer.
 UV-A rays have a wavelength of 320-420 nanometers (nm). UV-B rays have
a wavelength of 280-320 nm, and UV-C rays have a wavelength of less than
280 nm.
 In physics, ultraviolet radiation is traditionally divided into four regions:
near (400–300 nm), middle (300–200 nm), far (200–100 nm), and extreme
(below 100 nm).
 UV-A is a long-wave, black light, and is not absorbed by the ozone layer. Of
the ultraviolet that does reach Earth’s surface, almost 99 percent is UV-A
radiation.
 UV-B is a medium-wave, and is mostly absorbed by the ozone layer.
 UV-C is a short-wave, germicidal, completely absorbed by the ozone layer
and atmosphere.
 Unlike X-rays, ultraviolet radiation has a low power of penetration.
 It has frequencies of about 8.0 × 1014 to 3.0 × 1016 cycles per second, or
hertz (Hz).