Colorimetry

What is colorimetry?
Colorimetry is a technique "used to determine the concentration of
colored compounds in a sample solution” at visible region (400-760 nm)
 Principle
✓ The intensity of color is directly proportional to the concentration of the
compound being measured.

✓ Colorimetry is the technique frequently used in food processing

technology; the quantitative estimation of colors.

✓ The difference in color intensity results in the difference in the absorption of light.
 Complemetary color
✓ Wavelength between 400nm to 760 nm form the visible spectrum of
light
✓ light passed through a solution which selectivity absorbs radiation at
fixed wave lengths,then the color of the transmitted light is
complementary to that of the absored light.

✓ Visual colour is complementary to the colour absorbed.

✓ It is the colour sensation produced by all of the wavelengths minus the

wavelengths absorbed.
Wavelength Color Visual
absorbed colour
400-430 Violet Yellow green

435-480 Blue yellow

480-490 Green-blue orange

490-500 Blue-green Red

500-560 green purple

560-580 Yellow green violet

580-595 Yellow blue

595-605 Orange Green blue

605-750 red Blue green

 Criteria for satisfactory colorimetric estimations

✓ Stability of color
Color may be fade due to air oxidation, photochemical decomposition,
temperature.

✓ Intensity of color
The color of the solution should be intense in order to detect small
amount of constituents and for making accurate result in low concentration.

✓ Clarity of the solution

Substance under investigation should be completely soluble in the
solvent, since turbid solution, suspention or colloidal solution absorb as well as
scatter light.
✓ Reproducibility
The intensity of the colored solution must be reproducible. The effect
of order of adding reagent, pH and other variable should be clearly studied

✓ Specificity
Color produced should be specific for the desired constituent. If other
constituents interfere with color reaction they be removed or prevented from or prevented
from functioning through appropriate treatment like use of other coloring agent, altering
the oxidation state.

✓ Validity of Beer’s law

The intensity of color should be proportional to concentration. It can be easily
assessed by plotting absorbance Vs concentration, where a straight line passing through
origin should be obtained.
Components of colorimetry
 Sample Holder
✓ Cuvette are rectangular cell , square cell or circularone
✓ Made up of optical glass for visible wavelength.
✓ Common one is square,rectangular to avoid refraction effects
✓ Dimension of cuvette is 1cm.
 Detectors
Detectors are the transducers, which convert light energy to
electrical enagery . A detector should be possess follwing characteristics

1.Should be sensitive 2.Should

have linear response 3.Its noise
level Should be low
4.Should have short response time
Thank you