Optical Rotation (Activity)
Optical rotation is the turning of the plane of linearly polarized light about the direction of motion as the light travels through certain materials. It occurs in solutions of chiral molecules such as sucrose (sugar), solids with rotated crystal planes such as quartz, and spin-polarized gases of atoms or molecules. It is used in the sugar industry to measure syrup concentration, in optics to manipulate polarization, in chemistry to characterize substances in solution, and in optical mineralogy to help identify certain minerals in thin sections. It is being developed as a method to measure blood sugar concentration in diabetic people.
Recent Journal Articles
2/4/2011
Optically Active Polyurethane Containing Asymmetric Center: Preparation, Characterization and Thermo-Optic Properties
( 1521 – 1526) Polymer - Plastics Technology and Engineering 49 #15 (2010)
Qui et al of Jiangsu University, China synthesized optically active azobenzene polyurethane (OAAPU) containing donor-Π-acceptor azo group and asymmetric center from chromophore NABZ, chiral reagent L(-)-tartaric acid and toluene diisocyanate (TDI). The refractive index of OAAPU polymer decreased linearily with the increasing of temperature at the same OAAPU content and had a high thermo-optic coefficient -4.0714--3.868610-4°C-1.