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absorbance

absorbance

1 7.4
A number that shows how much light a substance stops when light passes through it
  • noun
  • /æbˈzɔrbəns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : absorbancia
  • The absorbance at 157 nm was determined for a total of 25 different resists from resist suppliers.
  • absorbance at 340 nm
  • absorbance value
  • average absorbance

Examples

  • The mixture was shaken and kept for 30 minutes in the dark, and the absorbance was read at 517 nm.

    Academic text (2013)
  • We're not monitoring the transmittance because absorbance is actually directly proportional to concentration by Beer's law.

  • The tympanic average absorbance, as described above, was approximately 20%.

    Academic text (1995)
  • And here let's say we have some change in absorbance at some wavelength, right, like what we have here.

  • In a CT image, what forms the contrast is the absorbance of X-rays by the tissue.

  • Absorbance was read at 570 nm, and background at 690 nm was removed.

    Academic text (2016)
  • The absorbance at 450 nm (A450) was determined for each serum sample.

    Academic text (2014)
  • The absorbance was read at 570 nm using a microplate reader, and 630 nm was used as a reference wavelength.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Absorbance at 450 nm was then quantified in a microplate reader (Bio-Tek, USA).

    Academic text (2018)
  • The scientist recorded the absorbance of the solution using a spectrophotometer to analyze its concentration.

Synonyms

optical density
vsabsorbance
  • Specialized
1 7.1

How much a material reduces the amount of light that passes through it

expresses the amount of light taken up using a logarithmic ratio

How Opaque

opacity
4 7.0
absorbance
  • Specialized
1 7.4
translucency
1 6.9
transparency
  • Specialized
5 4.6

Surface Forms

absorbance singular
absorbances plural

Morphology

absorbance = absorb (semi-transparent) = absorb + ance

Formed from the verb 'absorb' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ance', which yields 'the quality/amount of absorbing'; the scientific sense as a specific logarithmic measure is technical and may not be obvious to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Absorbance comes from the verb absorb, which goes back to Latin sorbere meaning 'to suck in'. Think of a sponge that soaks up water: absorbance measures how much light a substance 'takes in' or 'sucks in'.