Is that a polarimeter in your pocket? A zero-cost, technology-enabled demonstration of optical rotation

Thomson, Patrick I. T. (2018) Is that a polarimeter in your pocket? A zero-cost, technology-enabled demonstration of optical rotation. Journal of Chemical Education, 95 (5). pp. 837-841. ISSN 0021-9584 (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00767)

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Abstract

A polarimeter can be constructed using a document camera as a visualizer and a standard smartphone screen as a source of polarized light. A pair of 3D glasses can be used as a polarizing filter and the optical rotation angle of liquids can be measured using any free compass app. Consequently, a demonstration of optical rotation can be conducted with no preparation time or specialized equipment.