Refractometer

A refractometer is a laboratory or field device for the

measurement of an index of refraction (refractometry). The index
of refraction is calculated from the observed refraction angle using
Snell's law. For mixtures, the index of refraction then allows the
concentration to be determined using mixing rules such as the
Gladstone–Dale relation and Lorentz–Lorenz equation.

Hand-held refractometer

Refractometry
Standard refractometers measure the extent of light refraction (as part of a refractive index) of transparent
substances in either a liquid this is then used in order to identify a liquid sample, analyze the sample's
purity, and determine the amount or concentration of dissolved substances within the sample. As light
passes through the liquid from the air it will slow down and create a ‘bending’ illusion, the severity of the
‘bend’ will depend on the amount of substance dissolved in the liquid. For example, the amount of sugar
in a glass of water.[1]

Types
There are four main types of refractometers: traditional handheld refractometers, digital handheld
refractometers, laboratory or Abbe refractometers (named for the instrument's inventor and based on
Ernst Abbe's original design of the 'critical angle') and inline process refractometers.[2] There is also the
Rayleigh Refractometer used (typically) for measuring the refractive indices of gases.

In laboratory medicine, a refractometer is used to measure the total plasma protein in a blood sample and
urine specific gravity in a urine sample.

In drug diagnostics, a refractometer is used to measure the specific gravity of human urine.

In gemology, the gemstone refractometer is one of the fundamental pieces of equipment used in a
gemological laboratory. Gemstones are transparent minerals and can therefore be examined using optical
methods. Refractive index is a material constant, dependent on the chemical composition of a substance.
The refractometer is used to help identify gem materials by measuring their refractive index, one of the
principal properties used in determining the type of a gemstone. Due to the dependence of the refractive
index on the wavelength of the light used (i.e. dispersion), the measurement is normally taken at the
wavelength of the sodium line D-line (NaD) of ~589 nm. This is either filtered out from daylight or
generated with a monochromatic light-emitting diode (LED). Certain stones such as rubies, sapphires,
tourmalines and topaz are optically anisotropic. They demonstrate birefringence based on the polarisation
plane of the light. The two different refractive indexes are classified using a polarisation filter. Gemstone
refractometers are available both as classic optical instruments and as electronic measurement devices
with a digital display.[3]
In marine aquarium keeping, a refractometer is used to measure the salinity and specific gravity of the
water.

In the automobile industry, a refractometer is used to measure the coolant concentration.

In the machine industry, a refractometer is used to measure the amount of coolant concentrate that has
been added to the water-based coolant for the machining process.

In homebrewing, a brewing refractometer is used to measure the specific gravity before fermentation to
determine the amount of fermentable sugars which will potentially be converted to alcohol.

Brix refractometers are often used by hobbyists for making preserves including jams, marmalades and
honey. In beekeeping, a brix refractometer is used to measure the amount of water in honey.

Bausch & Lomb Abbe Gemology Hand refractometer A wine grape grower
Refractometer, ca. refractometer ER604 with refractometer
1919-1926 used to test light
bending in
gemstones; courtesy
of A.KRÜSS Optronic
GmbH

Density evaluation of
abdominal fluid of a
cat with feline
infectious peritonitis
by a refractometer.

Automatic
Automatic refractometers automatically measure the refractive index of a sample. The automatic
measurement of the refractive index of the sample is based on the determination of the critical angle of
total reflection. A light source, usually a long-life LED, is focused onto a prism surface via a lens system.
An interference filter guarantees the specified wavelength. Due to
focusing light to a spot at the prism surface, a wide range of
different angles is covered. As shown in the figure "Schematic
setup of an automatic refractometer" the measured sample is in
direct contact with the measuring prism. Depending on its
refractive index, the incoming light below the critical angle of
total reflection is partly transmitted into the sample, whereas for
Schematic setup of an automatic
higher angles of incidence the light is totally reflected. This refractometer: An LED light source
dependence of the reflected light intensity from the incident angle is imaged under a wide range of
is measured with a high-resolution sensor array. From the video angles onto a prism surface which is
signal taken with the CCD sensor the refractive index of the in contact with a sample. Depending
sample can be calculated. This method of detecting the angle of on the difference in the refractive
index between prism material and
total reflection is independent on the sample properties. It is even
sample the light is partly transmitted
possible to measure the refractive index of optically dense
or totally reflected. The critical angle
strongly absorbing samples or samples containing air bubbles or of total reflection is determined by
solid particles . Furthermore, only a few microliters are required measuring the reflected light
and the sample can be recovered. This determination of the intensity as a function of the incident
refraction angle is independent of vibrations and other angle
environmental disturbances.

Influence of wavelength
The refractive index of a given sample varies with wavelength for all materials. This dispersion relation is
nonlinear and is characteristic for every material. In the visible range, a decrease of the refractive index
comes with increasing wavelength. In glass prisms very little absorption is observable. In the infrared
wavelength range several absorption maxima and fluctuations in the refractive index appear. To guarantee
a high quality measurement with an accuracy of up to 0.00002 in the refractive index the wavelength has
to be determined correctly. Therefore, in modern refractometers the wavelength is tuned to a bandwidth
of +/-0.2 nm to ensure correct results for samples with different dispersions.

Influence of temperature
Temperature has a very important influence on the refractive index
measurement. Therefore, the temperature of the prism and the
temperature of the sample have to be controlled with high
precision. There are several subtly-different designs for controlling
the temperature; but there are some key factors common to all,
such as high-precision temperature sensors and Peltier devices to
control the temperature of the sample and the prism. The Modern Automatic
temperature control of these devices should be designed so that the Refractometers
variation in sample temperature is small enough that it will not
cause a detectable refractive-index change.

External water baths were used in the past but are no longer needed.

Extended possibilities of automatic refractometers

Automatic refractometers are microprocessor-controlled electronic devices. This means they can have a
high degree of automation and also be combined with other measuring devices

Flow cells
There are different types of sample cells available, ranging from a flow cell for a few microliters to
sample cells with a filling funnel for fast sample exchange without cleaning the measuring prism in
between. The sample cells can also be used for the measurement of poisonous and toxic samples with
minimum exposure to the sample. Micro cells require only a few microliters volume, assure good
recovery of expensive samples and prevent evaporation of volatile samples or solvents. They can also be
used in automated systems for automatic filling of the sample onto the refractometer prism. For
convenient filling of the sample through a funnel, flow cells with a filling funnel are available. These are
used for fast sample exchange in quality control applications.

Automatic sample feeding

Once an automatic refractometer is equipped with a flow cell, the
sample can either be filled by means of a syringe or by using a
peristaltic pump. Modern refractometers have the option of a built-
in peristaltic pump. This is controlled via the instrument's software
menu. A peristaltic pump opens the way to monitor batch
processes in the laboratory or perform multiple measurements on
one sample without any user interaction. This eliminates human
error and assures a high sample throughput. Automatic refractometer with
sample changer for automatic
If an automated measurement of a large number of samples is measurement of a large number of
required, modern automatic refractometers can be combined with samples
an automatic sample changer. The sample changer is controlled by
the refractometer and assures fully automated measurements of the
samples placed in the vials of the sample changer for measurements.

Multiparameter measurements
Today's laboratories do not only want to measure the refractive
index of samples, but several additional parameters like density or
viscosity to perform efficient quality control. Due to the
microprocessor control and a number of interfaces, automatic
refractometers are able to communicate with computers or other
measuring devices, e.g. density meters, pH meters or viscosity
meters, to store refractive index data and density data (and other
parameters) into one database. Measuring combination of an
automatic refractometer and a
density meter as widely used in the
Software features flavors and fragrances industry
Automatic refractometers do not only measure the refractive
index, but offer a lot of additional software features, like

Instrument settings and configuration via software menu

 Automatic data recording into a database
User-configurable data output
Export of measuring data
Statistical functions
Predefined methods for different kinds of applications
Automatic checks and adjustments
Check if sufficient amount of sample is on the prism
Data recording only if the results are plausible

Pharma documentation and validation

Refractometers are often used in pharmaceutical applications for quality control of raw intermediate and
final products. The manufacturers of pharmaceuticals have to follow several international regulations like
FDA 21 CFR Part 11, GMP, Gamp 5, USP<1058>, which require a lot of documentation work. The
manufacturers of automatic refractometers support these users providing instrument software fulfills the
requirements of 21 CFR Part 11, with user levels, electronic signature and audit trail. Furthermore,
Pharma Validation and Qualification Packages are available containing

Qualification Plan (QP)

Design Qualification (DQ)
Risk Analysis
Installation Qualification (IQ)
Operational Qualification (OQ)
Check List 21 CFR Part 11 / SOP
Performance Qualification (PQ)

Scales typically used

Brix
Oechsle scale
Plato scale
Baumé scale

See also
Ernst Abbe
Refractive index
Gemology
Must weight
Winemaking
Harvest (wine)
Gravity (beer)
High-fructose corn syrup
Cutting fluid
German inventors and discoverers
 High refractive index polymers

References
1. "The Measurement Shop's Guide to Refractometers - Measurement Shop UK" (https://www.
measurementshop.co.uk/blog/guides/the-measurement-shops-ultimate-guide-to-refractomet
ers). www.measurementshop.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
2. "Brief history of refractometers" (http://www.refractometer.pl/refractometer-history).
www.refractometer.pl. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
3. product page of A.KRÜSS Optronic GmbH (http://www.kruess.com/gemmologie/produkte/ed
elsteinrefraktometer) (read March 13, 2013)

Further reading
Sella, Andrea (November 2008). "Abbé's refractometer" (http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/I
ssues/2008/November/AbbesRefractometer.asp). Chemistry World: 67.

External links
Refractometer – Gemstone Buzz (http://www.gemstonebuzz.com/instruments/refractometer.
html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20081121112134/http://www.gemstonebuzz.co
m/instruments/refractometer.html) 2008-11-21 at the Wayback Machine uses, procedure &
limitations.
Rayleigh Refractometer: Operational Principles (http://laser.physics.sunysb.edu/~jennifer/ref
erence/refractometry/refractometryhome.html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20180
705171832/http://laser.physics.sunysb.edu/~jennifer/reference/refractometry/refractometryh
ome.html) 2018-07-05 at the Wayback Machine
Refractometers and refractometry (http://www.refractometer.pl/) explains how refractometers
work.

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