Despite the many applications of Faraday Rotation (FR)  in optics and communications, the significance of this magneto-optic effect in chemical analysis has not been fully explored.  This study seeks to assess the effectiveness of FR inlearning about the principles of chemical equilibrium and reaction kinetics.  The dependence of the Verdet constant on the concentration of FeCl3 in aqueous solution was investigated at 633 nm using Alternating Current (AC) FR.  The AC technique, which has been used in several other studies, utilizes lock-in detection which allows for the reliable determination of exceedingly small rotation angles, which in turn can be used to determine the Verdet constant of a given sample.

Ocean acidification is the process by which the world’s oceans absorb carbon dioxide and results in the formation of carbonic acid, which decreases the level of pH.  This process increases the acidity of the water and threatens many different calcifying organisms such as corals, sea urchins, whelks, crabs, and oysters. This study evaluated: (i) the difference between specimens of Crassostrea virginica (whole organism mass and length and tissue mass) in two natural pH conditions consisting of an area considered to be polluted and the other not, with respect to tissue mass and whole organism mass and pH of the location (ii) the effect of altered pH level in decreasing increments on half shell mass and length of C. virginica in a laboratory setting.