Here’s a explanation:
How Spectrophotometry Works in Analytical Chemistry
- Basic Idea
- Spectrophotometry measures how much light a substance absorbs.
- The more light absorbed, the more of the substance is present.
- Step-by-Step Process
- Light Source: A beam of light is passed through the sample.
- Sample Interaction: The substance in the sample absorbs some light.
- Detector: Measures the amount of light that passes through.
- Calculation: Using the difference between incoming and transmitted light, the concentration of the substance is determined.
- Applications
- Measuring concentration of solutions (e.g., glucose in blood, metal ions in water).
- Monitoring reaction progress in chemical experiments.
- Why It’s Useful
- Simple, fast, and highly sensitive.
- Can be used for both qualitative (what is present) and quantitative (how much is present) analysis.
Simple way to remember:
Spectrophotometry is like shining a flashlight through colored water: the darker the water, the more substance is in it.