Hello HN3:
Well, I prepare some information to your project...
REFRACTOMETRY / REFRACTIVE INDEX
Quantitative Analysis (Binary mixtures and Solutions)
Binary mixtures and Solutions do not exist a general relation between the composition and the refractive index of a binary mixture of components A and B. In an ideal solution, n linearly varies with fraction m volume Va:
n= naVa + nb(1-Va) or, n= nawa + nb(1-wa)
n: Refractive Index
V: Volume
w: weight
Three methods exist that can be used to calculate concentrations based on the determination of the refractive index:
FIRST METHOD: Using Specific Refraction
Specific refraction like property additive. This allows to establish an equation to calculate the refraction of a mixture from the refractions of soluto and dissolvent.
Z.rm = X.ra + Y.rb, where
Z: grams of the mixture, X: grams of composed A, Y grams of compound B and ra, rb, rm are the specific refractions of the compound A, compound B and Mixture respectively.
There are several formula to calculate the specific refraction (you can find these formulas on internet or in a Instrumental Analysis Book, maybe Skook:
- Lorentz-Lorenz Equation (most used)
- Eyckman Equation
- Newton Equation
- Gladstone-Dale Equation
- Edwards Equation
SECOND METHOD: Using Clemens Method (see Ind. Eng. Chem. (1921) 13: 813) If you have
access to American Chemical Society Journals you can download this paper. Below you can find
the URL of first page of this paper:
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/iechad/1921/13/i09/f-pdf/f_ie50141a027.pdfTHIRD METHOD: Using Graph (chart solution) => refractive index vesus concentration (%w, %vol..)
Graphical representations can be made from refractive indicex versus. % in weight or % in volume.
Accoding several authors, is better use %volume than %weight, because better linearity has been observed.
Ok this is theory...let go to a practice...
Just choice for example Water and Ketone, you must prepare a set of solutions of different concentrations and them you will measure their refractive index (Temperature is very important)
To get a graph you can use Origin or Excel
I attached a "sample graph" of how is it...
Regards,
Chiralic