NOIDA INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY, GREATER NOIDA

Experiment No: 2
Polarimeter

1.1 Objective 1.2 Apparatus required 1.3 Theory and formula used 1.4 Procedure 1.5 Apparatus
diagram 1.6 Observation table 1.7 Calculation 1.8 Result 1.9 Error Analysis
2.0 Precautions 2.1 Viva-voce questions

1.1OBJECTIVE: To determine the specific rotation of cane sugar solution with

the help of polarimeter.
1.2 APPARATUS REQUIRED: Polarimeter, balance, measuring cylinder,
beaker, source of light and polarimeter tube.
1.3 THEORY AND FORMULA USED : The specific rotation of the plane of polarization
of sugar dissolved in water can be determined by the following formula.

Where, θ = rotation produced in degrees.

l = length of tube in decimeter.
m = mass of sugar in gm dissolved in water.
V = volume of sugar solution.
1.4 PROCEDURE:
Step 1: If the polarimeter is employing a half shade device, a monochromatic source should be
used and if biquartz device is used then white light can be used.
Step 2: Take the polarimeter tube and clean well both the sides such that it is free from dust.
Now fill the tube with pure water and see that no air bubble is enclosed it. Place the tube in its
position inside the polarimeter.
Step 3: Switch on the source of light and look through the eyepiece. Two halves of unequal
intensity is observed. Rotate the analyzer until two halves of the field appears equal bright. Take
the reading of main scale as well as Vernier scale and find out the total reading.
Step 4: Prepare the sugar solution of known strength.

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Step 5: Take the polarimeter tube and remove the pure water and fill it with the prepared sugar
solution and again place it in the polarimeter.
Step 6: Rotate the analyzer to obtain the equal intensity position, first in clockwise direction and
then in anti-clockwise direction.
Step 7: When the tube containing sugar solution is placed in the path of the polarized light, the
plane of polarization is rotated which disturbs the previous position.
Step 8: Note down the position of the analyzer on main and vernier scales in the two directions.
Find the mean reading. The difference between this and previous reading gives the angle of
rotation.
Step 9: Repeat the experiment with the sugar solutions of different concentrations.
Step 10: Measure the length of the tube in centimeters and change it in decimeters.
1.5 APPARATUS IMAGE:

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1.6 OBSERVATION TABLE:

Least count of polarimeter = ………
Length of polarimeter tube = 2.1 dm
Table-1 Determination of angle of rotation

Cane – sugar solution in the Tube

Concentration of
Distilled Water in the Tube

solution gm/cc
S.
Clockwise Anticlockwise
Y

No
X

Y
Clockwise Anticlockwis

Total
rotation rotation

Y
.
Total

Total
Total

rotation e rotation )
(a) (b)

M.S V.S M.S V.S M.S V.S M.S V.S

1.

2.

3.

1.7CALCULATION:

1.8 RESULT:
The specific rotation for cane sugar at a room temperature using monochromatic light is ……
1.9 ERROR ANALYSIS:

Standard mean value of specific rotation for sugar solution =

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2.0 PRECAUTION:
1. The polarimeter tube should be well cleaned.
2. Whenever solution is changed, rinse the tube with the new solution under examination.
3. The position of analyzer should be set accurately.
4. The temperature and wavelength of light used should be stated.
5. Reading should be taken when halves of the field of view becomes equally illuminate.
2.1 VIVA-VOCE QUESTIONS:

Qu.1. What do you mean by polarization?

Ans. The lack of symmetry about the direction of propagation of light is known as the
polarization of light.
Qu.2. What are optical rotations?
Ans. The rotations produced by a decimeter long column of the liquid containing 1 gm of
active substance in 1 cc of the solution.
Qu.3. What is Brewster’s law of polarization?
Ans. The tangent of the polarizing angle is mathematically equal to the refractive index of
the material i.e µ = tan (Ip)
Qu.4. Define plane of vibration and plane of polarization.
Ans. The plane of polarization is that plane in which no vibrations occur and the plane in
which vibrations occur known as plane of vibration. The vibrations occur at the right
angle to the plane of polarization.
Qu.5. What do you mean by double refraction?
Ans. When a ray of light is refracted by a crystal of calcite it gives two refractive rays .this
phenomenon is known as double refractions.
Qu.6. What is nicol prism?
Ans. It is an optical device which is made by calcite crystal to produce and analyze the plane
polarized light.
Qu.7. What do you mean by Snell’s law?
Ans. The sine of the angle of incidence to sine of the angle of refraction is equal to the
refractive index of the material.
Qu.8. What is mean by plane polarized and unpolarized light?

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Ans. The plane polarized light is the light in which the vibrations take place only along one
straight line perpendicular to the direction of propagation of light while in unpolarized
light vibrations take place along all possible straight lines perpendicular to the direction
of propagation of light.
Qu.9. What are the ordinary and extra ordinary lights?
Ans. Ordinary light obeys Snell’s law while extra ordinary doesn’t obey the Snell’s law.
Qu.10. Define refractive index.
Ans. It is the ratio of velocity of light in vacuum to the velocity of light in any medium.
µ=c/v
.
VIDEO LINK:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji3o61_ORT4

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