Answer to Question #329791 in General Chemistry for Esau

Question

1.      Human colour vision is “produced” by the nervous system based on how three different cone receptors interact with photons of light in the eye. These three different types of cones interact with photons of different frequency light, as indicated in the following chart:

Cone Type   Range of Light Frequency Detected

S                          6.00-7.49 x 10¹⁴ s^-1

M                         4.76-6.62 x 10¹⁴ s^-1

L                          4.28-6.00 x 10¹⁴ s^-1

 

           What wavelength ranges (and corresponding colours) do the three types of cones

detect?

Answer 1

The three types have peak wavelengths in the range of 564–580 nm, 534–545 nm, and 420–440 nm, respectively, depending on the individual. This difference is caused by the different opsins they carry, OPN1LW, OPN1MW, OPN1SW, respectively. The CIE color space is a commonly used model for the spectral sensitivity of three cells in the average human.