Lambert-Beer Law and Its Derivation in College Textbooks of Analytical Chemistry
WANG Zhong-Hui1**, ZHOU Hui1, REN Lie-Xiang1, LIU Hong-Yun2**, JIN Wei-Jun2**
1. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lyuliang University, Lishi 033000, China; 2. College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Abstract Lambert-Beer Law is the fundamental law of light absorption, which is one of the fundamental principles that undergraduate and graduate students in chemistry and related discipline need to master. It is the quantitative basis for spectrophotometry, colorimetric analysis, and photoelectric colorimetry. In order to supplement the shortcomings in existing college textbooks, this article started with a brief history of Lambert-Beer Law, introduced in turn the contributions of Bouguer, Lambert, and Beer to the law of light absorption, then explained from a mathematical perspective how Lambert-law and Beer-law had “combined” and unified into Lambert-Beer′s law. After introducing the derivation of the absorption law by both calculus and non-calculus methods, the advantages and disadvantages of each derivation method were compared, and some possible problems in the current teaching of this law were also discussed.
WANG Zhong-Hui, ZHOU Hui, REN Lie-Xiang, LIU Hong-Yun, JIN Wei-Jun. Lambert-Beer Law and Its Derivation in College Textbooks of Analytical Chemistry[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2023, 44(24): 116-122.
