Color and Spectral Transmittance of Amber Bottle Glass

Because of increased interest in color uniformity among iron‐sulfur amber bottle glasses, a study was undertaken of their color, their spectral transmittance, and the relationship of these properties. It was found that the psychophysical attributes of color (C.I.E. system) as computed from complete light‐transmittance spectra can actually be estimated for iron‐sulfur amber glasses with good accuracy from transmittance at only two suitable wave lengths, 550 and 650 mp. Transmittance at 550 mμ is closely correlated with brightness (C.I.E.) and thus is sufficient to characterize color intensity, which is the most important variable of color quality among commercial amber glasses. There is also fair correlation between transmittance at 550 mμ and transmittance in the ultraviolet. The latter is important in the avoidance of photochemical action on bottled products. Incidental to this work, the transmittances of a large number of glasses were compared with their iron and sulfur contents. Broadly speaking, it was found that transmittance at 550 mp decreases with increasing ferrous iron or with increasing sulfide content. However, this transmittance is affected substantially by other factors, such as gross composition, minor constituents like fluorine, and thermal history, of which no account was taken in the present work. Transmittance at 1050 mp can be correlated closely with ferrous iron content (as determined by chemical analysis) and absorbancy per unit concentration of ferrous iron in carbon‐sulfur ambers is about the same as in green glasses containing no sulfur.