optics) The calculated rotation of light passing through a solution as related to the solution

volume and depth, the amount of solute, and the observed optical rotation at a given wavelength
and temperature.
n. (Symbol α)

The arc of rotation, expressed in angular degrees, through which the plane of polarized light
moves when it is in a light path one decimeter in length passing through a solution containing
one gram of a compound per one milliliter water.

The specific rotation of a chemical compound [α] is defined as the observed angle of optical
rotation α when plane-polarized light is passed through a sample with a path length of 1
decimeter and a sample concentration of 1 gram per 1 millilitre. The specific rotation of a pure
material is an intrinsic property of that material at a given wavelength and temperature. Values
should always be accompanied by the temperature at which the measurement was performed and
the solvent in which the material was dissolved. Often the temperature is not specified; in these
cases it is assumed to be room temperature. The formal unit for specific rotation values is deg
cm² g-1 but scientific literature uses just degrees. A negative value means levorotatory rotation
and a positive value means dextrorotatory rotation. Some examples:

• Sucrose +66.47°
• Lactose +52.3°
• cholesterol −31.5°
• Camphor +44.26°
• Penicillin V +223°
• taxol −49°
• (S)-bromobutane +23.1°
• (R)-bromobutane −23.1°
• (+)-cavicularin +168.2°

Optical rotation is measured with an instrument called a polarimeter. There is a linear

relationship between the observed rotation and the concentration of optically active compound in
the sample. There is a non-linear relationship between the observed rotation and the wavelength
of light used. Specific rotation is calculated using either of two equations, depending on the
sample you are measuring:

For pure liquids:

In this equation, l is the path length in decimeters, and d is the density of the liquid in g/mL, for a
sample at a temperature T (given in degrees Celsius) and wavelength λ (in nanometers). If the
wavelength of the light used is 589 nanometer (the sodium D line), the symbol “D” is used. The
sign of the rotation (+ or -) is always given.

For solutions, a different equation is used:

In this equation, l is the path length in decimeters and c is the concentration in g/100mL, for a
sample at a temperature T (given in degrees Celsius) and wavelength λ (in nanometers). If the
wavelength of the light used is 589 nanometer (the sodium D line), the symbol “D” is used. The
sign of the rotation (+ or -) is always given. When using this equation, the concentration and the
solvent are always provided in parentheses after the rotation. The rotation is reported using
degrees, and no units of concentration are given (it is assumed to be g/100mL).

For example:

° (c 1.0, EtOH)

This solution equation is incorrectly represented in many textbooks and on many websites as:

(concentration in g/mL)

Mathematically, the two forms seems to be similar, also chemically they are similar. From the
chemical point of view, also a pure compound have some concentration (dependent on its
nature), and this concentration in g/ml is the same as density, so for the pure liqiud samples, their
concentration (in g/ml) is the same as their density, which means, that both equations means
same, but should be used in different situations. Using the incorrect form of the equation will
produce problems because the concentration will have the incorrect units. Because the units are
usually not reported, this can produce difficulties for those trying to use the data later. But
generally the specific optical rotation is given for pure compounds (thus problem of
concentration is solved) and the length of pathway of light through the sample is the only unit
that should be reported; but almost all the polarimetric measuremnts are done in 1 dm cuvette
and due to lazy spectroscopic people, this get to be a kind of convence and all given optical
rotations are for 1 dm optical pathway (if not explictly staten otherwise).

If a compound has a very large specific rotation or a sample is very concentrated, the actual
rotation of the sample may be larger than 180°, and so a single polarimeter measurement cannot
detect when this has happened (for example, the values +270° and –90° are not distinguishable,
nor are the values 361° and 1°). In these cases, measuring the rotation at several different
concentrations allows one to determine the true value. Another method would be to use shorter
pathlengths.

In cases of very small or very large angles, one can also use the variation of specific rotation with
wavelength to facilitate measurement. Switching wavelength is particularly useful when the
angle is small. Many polarimeters are equipped with a mercury lamp (in addition to the sodium
lamp) for this purpose.

The variation of specific rotation with wavelength is the basis of optical rotary dispersion (ORD)
that can be used to elucidate the absolute configuration of certain compounds.
Measuring optical rotation provides, in theory, a way to assess optical purity of a sample
containing a mixture of enantiomers. For example, if a sample of bromobutane measured under
standard conditions has an observed rotation of −9.2°, this indicates that the net effect is due to
(100%)(9.2°/23.1°)=40% of the R enantiomer. The remainder of the sample is a racemic mixture
of the enantiomers (30% R and 30% S), which has no net contribution to the observed rotation.
The enantiomeric excess is 40%; the total concentration of R is 70%. However, in practice the
utility of this method is limited, as the presence of small amounts of highly rotating impurities
can greatly affect the rotation of a given sample. Moreover, the optical rotation of a compound
may be nonlinearly dependent on its enantiomeric excess because of aggregation in solution. For
these reasons other methods of determining the enantiomeric ratio such as gas chromatography
or HPLC with a chiral column is generally preferred.

Bee honey as natural rich of sugars food has the property to rotate the polarization plane of
polarized light. This depends largely on types and relative proportions of sugars in honey. Each
sugar has a specific effect, and the total optical rotation is dependent on concentration. Floral
honeys are laevorotary and honeydew (or adulterated floral) honeys are usually dextrorotary.
This is a consequence of the normal preponderance in honey of fructose, which has a negative
specific rotation. The measurement of specific rotation is currently used in Greece, Italy and UK
to distinguish blossom and honeydew honeys. Honeydew honeys are usually somewhat lower in
fructose content and contain melezitose. The aim of the study in Bulgaria [1], was to apply the
method for determination of the specific optical rotation of bee honey according to the
Harmonized Methods of the European Honey Commission. For that purpose a comparison of
optical measurements of Bulgarian honeys from different origins, was carried out with the
harmonised method of the European Honey Commission. The values of the specific optical
rotation of the Bulgarian honeydew honeys were positive (4.2 ± 1.3).