absorbance /əbsôr″bəns/ , the degree of absorption of light or other radiant energy by a medium exposed to the energy. It is expressed as the logarithm of the ratio of energy transmitted through a vacuum to the energy transmitted through the medium. For solutions, it is the logarithm of the ratio of energy transmitted through pure solvent to the energy transmitted through the solution. Absorbance varies with factors such as wavelength, solution concentration, and path length.
