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Automatic Low-Cost Data Acquisition from Old Polarimetric Instruments

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Norberto Micali

Istituto per i Processi Chimico-Fisici, Sez. Messina, CNR, 98100 Messina, Italy

Salvatore Coppolino and Antonino Villari

Dipartimento Farmaco-Chimico, Facoltà di Farmacia, Università di Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy

Giuseppe Alibrandi and Santi D'Aliberti

Dipartimento di Chimica Inorganica, Chimica Analyticia e Chimica Fisica, Università di Messina, 98166, Messina, Italy

J. Chem. Educ., 2005, 82 (3), p 442

DOI: 10.1021/ed082p442

Publication Date (Web): March 1, 2005

Abstract

This article describes the design of an apparatus that allows the digital acquisition of polarimetric data from a Lippich polarimeter. This apparatus consists of a low-cost telecamera applied to the ocular of a double-field polarimeter and connected to a PC. The camera is able to reveal with high sensibility the difference in brightness in the two fields allowing more accurate analytical data to be obtained, without need for the analyser to be rotated. This apparatus allows the execution of either single observations or kinetics, because it is able to save previously obtained analytical data. Experimental tests of the apparatus were performed by measuring the rotation angle of solutions of (–)-adrenaline and by following the kinetics of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of sucrose.