Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry
Polarimeter: A device used to
measure the amount and direct that a substance rotates plane
polarized light. A polarimeter consists of a light source, a
monochronometer (filters out all but a specific wavelength of light), a
polarizer (converts the light beam to plane
polarized light), a sample tube (holds the sample being measured),
a second polarizer (to determine the degree of rotation), and a light
detector. The process of measuring the degree of rotation is called
polarimetry.
