Influence of Inorganic Salts on the Refraction Index of Water

Abstract

The refractive index of double-distilled water and inorganic salt solutions of concentrations varying from 0.4 to 100 ppt (‰) have been measured at 20 Celsius degrees using Abbe refractometer, respectively. The inorganic salts such as NaCl, MgSO4, KCl and MgCl2,these forming the major constituents of seawater are used as solutes of the water solution. The effect of the concentration of these constituents on the refractive index of the solution is experimentally investigated. And meanwhile, the index of refraction studies are carried out for the laser wavelength of 405nm, 450nm, 532nm and 633nm under the case of varying concentration. The results show that the refractive index of the solution will be linearly increased with the increase of the concentration of these constituents. The index of refraction differs for the different solutes when their concentration is same at a certain wavelength.