A small ray of hope for analysis

In just 20 seconds a drop reveals its properties.

An Irish scientist has devised (developed) a new technique drawing a large amount of physical information from a drop with a small ray of light (coaxing a large amount of physical information out of a drop ...). Up to now, scientists had to determine each (every) single property of a liquid separately. The new fibre-drop-analysis is an idea of the physicist Norman McMillan from Regional Technical College in Carlov. He makes the liquid flow through a thin tube (pipette) at the end of which a drop forms (develops). Afterwards (subsequently), he sends a light through the falling drop via an optical fibre at the tube's end. This light is reflected (radiated) at (on) the drop's surface and directed to a second optical fibre at the opposite end of the tube.

As soon as a drop starts to form, McMillan measures the light intensity (there). The light intensity is plotted as a graph (curve). It turns out that the light intensity reaches several peaks (peaks several times) during the experiment. At the first peak -- when the drop is just flowing out of the tube (is about to leave ...) -- McMillan measures the liquid's (not: fluid) refractive index. At the next peak he records the liquid's colo(u)r.

Just before the drop leaves (prior to the drop leaving) the tube, the scientist measures the surface's tension. Finally (eventually), when the drop has already come loose (separated), he can record (plot) the viscosity, i.e. the fluid's tenacity (toughness).

McMillan expects that his method will be utilized (his method to be utilized) from food, oil, chemical and pharmaceutical industry as well as for research and quality assurance.