NEPHELOMETRY AND TURBIDIMETRY

in analytical chemistry, methods for determining the amount of cloudiness, or turbidity, in a solution based upon measurement of the effect of this turbidity upon the transmission and scattering of light. Turbidity in a liquid is caused by the presence of finely divided suspended particles. If a beam of light is passed through a turbid sample, its intensity is reduced by scattering, and the quantity of light scattered is dependent upon the concentration and size distribution of the particles. In nephelometry the intensity of the scattered light is measured, while, in turbidimetry, the intensity of light transmitted through the sample is measured. Nephelometric and turbidimetric measurements are used in the determination of suspended material in natural waters and in processing streams. The technique is also used for determination of sulfur in coal, oil, and other organic materials; the sulfur is precipitated as barium sulfate.