Solvent dependence of electronic transition intensities

Most of the research on solvent effects on the electronic spectra of organic molecules has been concerned with frequency shifts. Solvent induced intensity changes, however, have not received much attention. At present there is no simple, general theory that relates: (a) the solvent induced changes in electronic transition intensities to (b) the macroscopic properties of the solvent. In this article we derive an equation that provides a quantitative interpretation for the changes in the absorption intensities. We show that solvent induced intensity changes are related to van der Waals constants for solvent and solute. Absorption data, some from previous investigations, are presented to show the usefulness and limitations of the theory.