Term: actinometer
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.A00087

Definition:
A chemical system or physical device which determines the number of photons in a beam integrally or per unit time. This name is commonly applied to devices used in the ultraviolet and visible wavelength ranges. For example, solutions of iron(III) oxalate can be used as a chemical actinometer, while bolometers, thermopiles, and photodiodes are physical devices giving a reading that can be correlated to the number of photons detected.

Related Terms:
1) chemical actinometer (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.C01016).
2) photons (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.P04627).
3) ultraviolet (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.UT07492).
4) visible (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.VT07496).
5) wavelength (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.W06659).
6) reading (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.R05189).

Source: PAC, 1996, 68, 2223. 'Glossary of terms used in photochemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)' on page 2227 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668122223)

Citation: 'actinometer' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.A00087

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