Re: Question: Can isotopic ratios be detected via spectroscopy?
Heya,
Hmm... Drawing on my very shallow knowledge in Chemistry, if I understood correctly spectroscopy examines the frequency and wavelength of a photon that is emitted when an excited electron drops to a stable orbital.
If this is correct, then I would think that isotopes cannot be detected via spectroscopy, because it deals with the quantum states of electrons only and has little to do with what goes on inside the nucleus (different numbers of neutrons determines isotope).
To the experts: Am I in the ball park or completely off-track?