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Refractometers

Versatile Analyzers, from QC to LC

by Angelo DePalma, PhD
Refractometry is thought to be a limited analytical technique that works best with binary solutions—for example, salt or sugar solutions—where it excels at precise concentration measurements.

2014 Product Resource Guide: Refractometers

Refractometers come in all sizes, shapes, capabilities, and prices. Some readers may recognize refractometry as a “high school” analysis method or a specialized technique for measuring specific analytes like sugar in water. Increasingly, lab and process engineers employ refractometry to provide quick measures of key quality attributes that under normal circumstances would require much lengthier assays on significantly more expensive equipment.

Innovating Around the Edges

by Angelo DePalma, PhD
Refractometers are analytical instruments that measure the refractive index (RI) of liquids. Physicists define RI as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum divided by its speed through a test medium.