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Absorbance to Transmittance Converter

Use the following calculator to convert absorbance to transmittance values and vice versa. A transmittance to absorbance reference table of values is presented below.


What is the Beer Lambert Law?

The Beer Lambert law, which is also referred to as Beer’s Law, describes the relationship among absorbance (A), the molar solute concentration in M (c), and the length of the path the light takes to get to the sample in centimeters (l). Absorbance is directly proportional to concentration and length: A = εcl. ε is the wavelength-dependent molar absorbtivity coefficient and it is constant for a particular substance. ε has units of L mol – 1 cm – 1. The Beer’s law provides a linear relationship between concentration and absorbance that can be plotted to produce an easy-to-use graph.

Beer Lambert Calculator


Transmittance to Absorbance Table

Absorbance and transmittance are measurements used in spectrophotometry. Spectrophotometry measures how much radiant energy a substance absorbs at varying wavelengths of light. The technique is useful for determining the identity of an unknown substance as and, with the use of a set of standards, determining a substance’s concentration in a sample.

A transmittance to absorbance table enables fast conversion from transmittance values to absorbance in the lab or in the field.

How Is Absorbance Calculated from Transmittance?

Absorbance can be calculated from percent transmittance (%T) using this formula:

Absorbance = 2 – log(%T)

Transmittance (T) is the fraction of incident light which is transmitted. In other words, it’s the amount of light that “successfully” passes through the substance and comes out the other side. It is defined as T = I/Io, where I = transmitted light (“output”) and Io = incident light (“input”). %T is merely (I/Io) x 100. For example, if T = 0.25, then %T = 25%. A %T of 25% would indicate that 25% of the light passed through the sample and emerged on the other side. Absorbance (A) is the flip-side of transmittance and states how much of the light the sample absorbed. It is also referred to as “optical density.” Absorbance is calculated as a logarithmic function of T: A = log10 (1/T) = log10 (Io/I).

Absorbance to transmittance can also be determined using th3 calculator above.

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