Polarimeter (Chemical)

Description

The Polarimeter can be used to measure chiral properties of optically active samples without chemically modifying or destroying the sample. This is a vertical polarimeter that uses a 589 nm LED, a fixed polarizer, and a manually rotated polarizer to detect changes in rotation of plane-polarized light in the presence of an optically active compound. Used with Vernier technology, students no longer have to determine the optical maximum with their eye but have a graph that shows a clear change in the light’s polarization.

Specifications

• Encoder Resolution: 0.25°
• Accuracy (optical rotation measurements): ±1°
• Sensitivity: typically up to OD 2
• Optical Encoder: Bidirectional, quadrature encoder, 360 cycle per revolution
• Light Source: LED
• Wavelength (nominal): 589 nm

Download the user manual for full specifications

Experiments and Lab Ideas

Experiments

Preview and/or edit the polarimetry experiments for your curriculum by downloading the experiments below. The Student download includes objectives, materials, procedures, and analysis. The Instructor download includes notes, sample results and graphs, and answers.

Lab Ideas

• Determine sugar solution purity by optical rotation.
• Characterize the purity of organic and inorganic syntheses yielding chiral products.
• Determine the enantiometric purity of optically active compounds.
• Resolve racemic mixtures.
• Study the kinetics of acid-catalyzed hydrolysis.
• Study the kinetics of enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis.
• Explore the optical activity of amino acids.