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Turbidimetry is an analytical chemistry technique used to measure the cloudiness, or turbidity, of a solution. This cloudiness is caused by suspended particles within the liquid. The method works by passing a beam of light through the turbid sample and measuring how the intensity of the transmitted light is reduced due to scattering by these particles.1

The amount of light scattered is directly related to the concentration and size of the suspended particles. Turbidimetry is analogous to absorption measurements, where the decrease in light intensity is correlated with the concentration of the scattering substance. This technique is valuable for determining suspended materials in natural waters and industrial streams, as well as for analyzing substances like sulfur in coal and oil by precipitating them as barium sulfate.12

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