A Refractometer at a 1998 Show and Tell
Toronto. In April of 1998 the society held a ‘Show and Tell’ session at its monthly meeting. The late Ron Anger showed this strange optical device and challenged members to name it.
That naming did occur, thanks to member Egon Kellner. In a brief article titled “A What Is It? Gets Answered”, Egon writes, ” The optical instrument shown by Ron Anger at the April meeting of the society (Show and Tell) is a refractometer. It is a rather unusual piece of equipment for the camera collector, but an important item found in a medical or biochemistry lab.
“We all know of the refraction of light by a camera lens, similarly a light beam changes direction when it enters a liquid medium as displayed by the apparent bending of a straight rod on entering water. The degree of refraction depends on the atomic or molecular nature of the liquid, as well as its concentration and temperature.
“When a refractive index is determined with an instrument as Ron Anger displayed, then it becomes a simple matter to compute the concentration of a known chemical in a liquid, i.e the protein content in serum.
“Tables that correlate the refractive indecies and concentrations of a large number of organic and inorganic chemicals were developed in 1898 (to give some historical information!) using the instruments manufactured by Carl Zeiss Jena.” …
The source of this name and more about Ron’s instrument can be read in the issue 24-3 pdf file on the free members-only DVD/thumb drive. See Membership above or at right to join. Drop Lilianne a note at member@phsc.ca if you have a question.
You may not see one of these gadgets at the annual trunk sale, but you will have a great time – and the chance to add to your collection. The Trunk Sale is this Sunday, July 13th – rain or shine. All our PHSC 2025 events are shown to the right!
