涩里番

Height: 41聽cm聽
Width: 50聽cm聽
Depth: 21聽cm聽
Manufacturer:聽Franz聽Schmidt &聽Haensch聽Company,聽Berlin聽Germany聽聽
Materials: Brass, iron, glass聽
Date: c1895聽

Dr. Richard Fraser, Director of the Maude Abbott Medical聽Museum,聽provides a brief description of the function and/or use of the equipment.聽

A polarimeter is used to measure the concentration of a substance dissolved in a liquid (e.g., a water-sugar solution).聽Measurement begins聽by聽placing the test sample in a tube鈥痩ocated鈥痓etween a light source and鈥痑 viewing鈥痮bjective. A polarizing filter is聽situated聽near the former聽end and an analyzer聽near the latter.聽The polarizer acts聽by altering irregularly oriented normal light into a single plane 鈥� called polarized light 鈥� which travels聽through the solution聽containing聽the substance to be assessed.聽聽If the latter is聽optically active, such as sugar, it rotates聽the plane of the polarized light.聽聽

The analyzer is then rotated to find the angle at which聽the transmitted light is at a minimum or maximum,聽indicating聽the extent and direction聽of the rotation. This angle is聽read on the front dial. Using this measurement,聽the length of the sample tube, and a calibration constant, the concentration of the sugar solution聽can then be聽calculated.聽聽