The key difference between turbidimetry and colorimetry is that turbidimetry is useful in determining the turbidity of a solution and is operated in near-infrared wavelength, whereas colorimetry is useful in determining the concentration of a sample and is operated in a range of wavelengths.
Turbidimetry and colorimetry are important analytical techniques. Turbidimetry is the technique of determining the concentration of a substance in a solution by measuring the loss in intensity of a light beam across a solution consisting of suspended particulate matter. Colorimetry, on the other hand, is the technique that helps to determine the concentration of a solution having color.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Turbidimetry
3. What is Colorimetry
4. Turbidimetry vs Colorimetry in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Turbidimetry vs Colorimetry
What is Turbidimetry?
Turbidimetry is the technique of determining the concentration of a substance in a solution by measuring the loss in intensity of a light beam across a solution consisting of suspended particulate matter. In other words, this method is important in determining the cloudiness or turbidity in a solution depending on the measurement of the effect of this turbidity in the presence of transmission and scattering of light. Moreover, we can use turbidimetry in biology to determine the number of cells in a solution.
Figure 01: Typical Antigen-Antibody Reaction in a Graph
Immunoturbidity is another important term that is related to turbidimetry. In immunoturbidity, we can use this technique as an important tool in the broad diagnostic field of clinical chemistry to determine serum proteins that are undetectable with classical clinical chemistry methods. In addition, this technique uses the classical antigen-antibody reaction. Here, antigen-antibody complexes tend to aggregate while forming particles that are optically detected through a photometer.
What is Colorimetry?
Colorimetry is the technique that helps to determine the concentration of a solution having color. It measures the intensity of color and relates the intensity to the concentration of the sample. In colorimetry, the color of the sample is compared with a color of a standard in which the color is known.
Figure 02: Differently Colored Samples Used for a Colorimetric Analysis
The first basic colorimeter was developed by Jules Duboscq in 1870. This first colorimeter was named a Duboscq colorimeter. Moreover, there are some colorimeter-derived instruments as well; some examples include tristimulus colorimeters, spectroradiometers, spectrophotometers, densitometers, etc.
Furthermore, visual colorimeters come in two types: visual absorption meters or color comparators and true visual colorimeters or tristimulus colorimeters. Visual absorption meters or color comparators can compare the color of the test sample, typically a liquid with a standard. A tristimulus colorimeter is useful for color calibration.
What is the Difference Between Turbidimetry and Colorimetry?
Turbidimetry and colorimetry are important analytical techniques. The key difference between turbidimetry and colorimetry is that turbidimetry is useful in determining the turbidity of a solution and is operated in near-infrared wavelength, whereas colorimetry is useful in determining the concentration of a sample and is operated in a range of wavelengths.
The below infographic presents the differences between turbidimetry and colorimetry in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Turbidimetry vs Colorimetry
Turbidimetry is the technique of determining the concentration of a substance in a solution by measuring the loss in intensity of a light beam across a solution consisting of suspended particulate matter. Colorimetry is the technique that helps to determine the concentration of a solution having color. The key difference between turbidimetry and colorimetry is that turbidimetry is useful in determining the turbidity of a solution, and this technique is operated in near-infrared wavelength whereas colorimetry is useful in determining the concentration of a sample and is operated in a range of wavelengths.
Reference:
1. “Colorimeter.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Immunpräzipitation (immunoprecipitation)” By Andi schmitt – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia – Translated into English
2. “Colorimetric standard curve” By Swastipandey – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia