Term: scintillators
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.S05507

Definition:
Materials used for the measurement of radioactivity, by recording the radioluminescence. They contain compounds (chromophores) which combine a high fluorescence quantum efficiency, a short fluorescence lifetime, and a high solubility. These compounds are employed as solutes in aromatic liquids and polymers to form organic liquid and plastic scintillators, respectively.

Related Terms:
1) radioactivity (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.R05092).
2) radioluminescence (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.R05111).
3) chromophores (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.C01076).
4) fluorescence (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.F02453).
5) quantum efficiency (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.Q04988).
6) fluorescence lifetime (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.FT07377).
7) solubility (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.S05740).

Source: PAC, 1994, 66, 2513. 'Nomenclature for radioanalytical chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1994)' on page 2525 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199466122513)

Citation: 'scintillators' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.S05507

License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms.

Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.