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Frequency to Wavelength Converter
↔ Convert nm to Hz instead

Common Conversions

Hz nm
1000000000000 299800
5000000000000 59960
10000000000000 29980
50000000000000 5996
100000000000000 2998
300000000000000 999.3
428300000000000 700
500000000000000 599.6
600000000000000 499.7
700000000000000 428.3
1000000000000000 299.8
3000000000000000 99.93

Why this conversion matters in chemistry

Pump-probe spectroscopy crosses this conversion every time a tunable laser source needs to land on a UV-Vis absorption peak. A 500 THz laser line lands at 600 nm — the orange-red regime where many transition-metal chromophore d-d bands sit. The factor c = 299,792,458 m/s is exact by the SI definition of the meter, so λ in nm equals 2.998 × 10¹⁷ divided by frequency in Hz. The conversion is a unit step in any optical-spectroscopy workflow that crosses between source-side frequency specs and target-side wavelength data.

Formula

nm = 2.998 × 10¹⁷ ÷ Hz

Worked Examples

5.996×10¹⁴ Hz = 500 nm

Green light — mid-visible, the calibration wavelength for many UV-Vis instruments.

7.495×10¹⁴ Hz = 400 nm

Violet at the edge of visible — useful as the short-wavelength visible anchor.

4.283×10¹⁴ Hz = 700 nm

Deep red at the long-wavelength visible edge.

1×10¹⁵ Hz = 299.8 nm

Mid-UV — about the wavelength region for many photochemistry studies.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert frequency to wavelength?
λ = c/ν. In useful units, λ in nm = 2.998 × 10¹⁷ ÷ frequency in Hz. The factor c is exact through the SI definition of the meter.
Why convert from Hz to nm?
UV-Vis and IR spectroscopy plot in wavelength (nm or µm); NMR and microwave spectroscopy report in frequency (Hz, MHz, GHz). The conversion bridges the two conventions whenever a source spec needs to land on an absorption-spectrum axis.
What frequency range does visible light span?
Visible light runs from about 4.3 × 10¹⁴ Hz (red, 700 nm) to 7.5 × 10¹⁴ Hz (violet, 400 nm). The factor of two in frequency mirrors the factor of two in wavelength — visible light spans almost exactly one octave of the electromagnetic spectrum.