1.

1 Beer- Lambert’s Law

Mrs. Vineeta Vivek Khanvilkar
In this lecture we will learn
• Beer Lambert’s Law
Statements
Derivation
Deviations
Beer- Lambert’s Law
• Beer's Law is also known as the Beer-Lambert Law, the Lambert-Beer Law, and
the Beer–Lambert–Bouguer Law.
• The reason there are so many names is because more than one law is involved.
Basically, Pierre Bouger discovered the law in 1729 and published it in Essai
D'Optique Sur La Gradation De La Lumière.
• Johann Lambert quoted Bouger's discovery in his Photometria in 1760, saying
the absorbance of a sample is directly proportional to the path length of light.
• Even though Lambert didn't claim discovery, he was often credited with it.
• August Beer discovered a related law in 1852. Beer's Law stated that the
absorbance is proportional to the concentration of the sample.
• Technically, Beer's Law relates only to concentration, while the Beer-Lambert
Law relates absorbance to both concentration and sample thickness
Beer- Lambert’s Law

Beer’s Law[C] Lambert’s Law [L]

• Related to concentration • Related to path length of the
• ‘A’ directly proportional to sample cell
concentration • ‘A’ directly proportional to path
length
Beer- Lambert’s Law
Beer’s Law
• When a monochromatic beam
of light is allowed to pass
through a transparent medium
the rate of decrease of intensity
with the increase in the
concentration of absorbing
medium is directly proportional
to the intensity if the incident
light.
Lambert’s Law
• When a monochromatic beam of
light is allowed to pass through a
transparent medium the rate of
decrease of intensity with the
increase in the thickness of the
medium is directly proportional
to the intensity if the incident
light.
Derivation of Beer Lamberts Law
• Assignment
• Need to mail the PDF format by 25th January 2020 on the email id
sent pa3vvk2021@gmail.com
Beer- Lambert’s Law

A= a b c
• A= absorbance ( NO unit)
• b= path length ( mm or cm)
• c= concentration ( gm /liter or mg/ml or µg/ml)
• a= absorptivity ( Unit depend on the unit of path length and
concentration)
Reflection spot
• Can you think of any application of the Beer Lambert’s law
Reflection spot
• Can you think of any application of the Beer Lambert’s law
Beer- Lambert’s Law application
• Quantitative application
• Determination of quantity
• Example
Determination of drug content in the drug product [drug formulation]
Determination of percentage purity of drug substance
Deviations from Beer Lamberts Law
• What does it mean?
Positive deviation

Absorbance
Negative deviation

Concentration Units
Deviations from Beer Lamberts Law
• Real Deviations
• Apparent deviations
Apparent Chemical deviation
Apparent Instrumental deviation
Deviations from Beer Lambert’s Law: Real Deviations

• Beer’s Law is applicable only to the dilute solutions

https://images.app.goo.gl/AZrCr1oNTgxnPq7N9
Deviations from Beer Lambert’s Law:
Apparent Deviation
Apparent Chemical deviation
• Possible with molecules which can either undergo association or
dissociation or some chemical reaction with the solvent
• Example benzyl alcohol
• In chloroform or Carbon tetrachloride, Monomer of benzyl alcohol
from a polymer
• 4 C6H5CH2OH (λmax of 275nm) = (C6H5CH2OH) 4 (λmax of 300 nm)
Deviations from Beer Lambert’s Law:
Apparent Deviation
4 C6H5CH2OH (λmax of 275nm) = (C6H5CH2OH) 4 (λmax of 300 nm)
Positive deviation at
higher concentration
if recorded at 300 nm
Absorbance

Negative deviation at
higher concentration
of benzyl alcohol if
recorder at 275 nm

Concentration Units
Deviations from Beer Lambert’s Law:
Apparent Deviation
Apparent Instrumental deviation
These are related to the Instrumentation
We will discuss them when we complete the instrumentation part
Choice of solvents….
Reflection spot
• What criterion should be applied for selection of solvents for the UV
Visible spectrophotometry?
Reflection spot
• What criterion should be applied for selection of solvents for the UV
Visible spectrophotometry?
Selection of solvents
• Case study
• A drug ‘X’ is to be analyzed is having λmax of 230 nm. Its solution is
prepared in the solvent having the Cut Off wavelength of 225 nm.
Comment whether the readings obtained will be correct?
• What will be the accuracy of the readings if it is analyzed by preparing
its solution in a solvent with Cut off wavelength of 205 nm?
In todays session we learned about
• Beer Lambert’s Law
Statements
Derivation
Deviations
In next lecture, we will study
• Applications of Beer Lambert’s Law in detail
• Solve simple problems based on the same
• Discuss its correlation with our Sem VI PAL II
Thank you!