4 Uses for a Colorimeter

The world is full of bright, vibrant hues that happen when different substances reflect a particular wavelength of visible light. While it might be easy to look at a sweater or pair of pants to determine whether it’s blue or purple, but things get trickier when you need to know the exact shade for scientific purposes. You can click here to see all of the products available from Photo Research, but here are four industries that use a colorimeter on a daily basis.

Chemistry

When a chemist is working with volatile substances, it’s important that the proportions are exactly correct. One mistake could be the difference between a successful experiment and a wasted effort. When mixing chemicals together from scratch, it’s easy to know the exact amounts, but what can be done when analyzing a pre-mixed solution? Colorimeters can determine the concentration of a particular substance by taking a look at various light wavelengths that are reflected back. This can be especially useful when studying water quality to see if any gasses like chlorine are dissolved in the fluid.

Medical Care

Blood is made up from several substances, and hemoglobin is one of the more important components. This protein string is what carries oxygen away from the lungs to give life to the body’s internal organs, and it also returns with carbon dioxide to be exhaled. Doctors will often look at the level of this material in the bloodstream to determine how efficiently a patient’s body is functioning, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of a particular medication. A colorimeter uses light to ascertain levels, and it can also identify the presence of counterfeit or substandard drugs in the system.

Food Industry

There’s an old saying that diners eat with their eyes first, which is why chefs put so much effort into the presentation of cuisine. Color can be an extremely important component in how appetizing a dish can be, and human expectation is a big part of that. Think about how appetizing a glass of orange juice would be if it was too dark or too light and you’ll understand the importance of proper coloration. By using colorimetry, food scientists can determine whether a particular spice, seasoning, dye or other ingredient is properly constructed for a proper appearance.

Painting

Applying a particular hue to a room in your home might not seem like a highly technical chore, but there’s a great deal of science that goes into this activity. Have you ever needed an exact match in paint color to create a seamless repair to a hole in your drywall? When you take a sample to the hardware store to buy that perfect facsimile, the employees use colorimeters to scan and create the precise shade to meet your needs. Before this technology, a simple hole in the wall could mean an entire afternoon of painting to cover up your damage.

The Science of Color

These are just four common applications for a colorimeter, but there are plenty of other uses for this technology. It’s hard to believe that white light breaks down into all of these different hues, but the science of colorimetry helps find the perfect wavelength.

Weston Barnes is a write and an avid reader. When he's not writing about business, marketing, health, pets, or relationships, he's immersed in his latest book.