Refractometers (3)

Refractometry is an analytical method based on the measurement of the refractive index (or index of refraction). Refractive index is a characteristic property of the substance, and its knowledge allows the identification of the substance or may be a criterion to assess its purity. On the basis of the refractive index we can determine the molar refraction, which is constant for a given compound. For measuring the refractive index we use optical instruments called refractometers. Most often they are simple Abbe refractometers with ocular equipped with a scale for reading or much more advanced digital automatic refractometers, with very good accuracy and reproducibility of the results.