Migration and Photochemical Action of Excitation Energy in Crystals

A crystal which has absorbed a light quantum can be treated either as an assembly of molecules or else as a giant molecule. If the exchange of excitation energy between crystal cells is slow as compared to the periods of vibration, the first description is preferable; if it is fast, the second picture is better. Both cases are discussed in connection with the following question: To what extent can excitation energy absorbed by an arbitrary cell of the crystal be used photochemically at a specific point which may be far removed from the absorbing cell? The results are applied to the behavior of polymerized pseudoisocyanines, to the hypothetical photosynthetic unit and to the theory of sensitized photographic plates.