What effect does UV light have on molecules?

UV light is a form of electromagnetic radiation with high energy. When UV light interacts with molecules, it can provide enough energy to overcome the bond energies in chemical bonds. This energy can lead to bond dissociation, resulting in the breaking of these bonds. When bonds within a molecule break, it can lead to various outcomes such as the formation of radicals, the decomposition of the molecule, or the initiation of chemical reactions.

Molecules are generally more sensitive to UV radiation because certain functional groups have electronic transitions that can be easily excited by the energy provided by UV light. This breaking of bonds is significant in processes like DNA damage in biological organisms, photochemical reactions, and polymer degradation.

The other options suggest effects that do not accurately represent the interaction between UV light and molecules. While UV light may indirectly result in changes in color or temperature due to chemical changes, those are secondary outcomes, not direct effects of UV exposure. Similarly, stabilization or cooling would not occur as a direct result of exposure to UV light.