Beer-Lambert Law Formula:
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Definition: This calculator determines the absorbance of a solution based on the Beer-Lambert Law, which relates the absorption of light to the properties of the material through which the light is traveling.
Purpose: It helps chemists, biologists, and researchers quantify how much light is absorbed by a solution at a specific wavelength.
The calculator uses the Beer-Lambert Law formula:
Where:
Explanation: The absorbance is directly proportional to the concentration of the absorbing species and the path length that the light travels through the material.
Details: Accurate absorbance measurements are crucial for determining concentrations of solutions in spectroscopy, chemical analysis, and biological assays.
Tips: Enter the molar extinction coefficient (specific to the substance and wavelength), solution concentration, and path length (cell thickness). All values must be > 0.
Q1: What is typical molar extinction coefficient range?
A: It varies widely from 0 to over 100,000 m²/mol depending on the substance and wavelength.
Q2: What units should I use for concentration?
A: The calculator uses mol/m³, but you can convert from M (mol/L) by multiplying by 1000.
Q3: How does path length affect absorbance?
A: Absorbance increases linearly with path length - doubling the path length doubles the absorbance.
Q4: What's the valid range for absorbance values?
A: For accurate measurements, absorbance should typically be between 0.1 and 1.0.
Q5: Can I use this for multi-component systems?
A: The basic Beer-Lambert law applies to single components. For mixtures, absorbance is additive.