This flask is used in conjunction with a nephelometer, among other applications. A suspension of small particles is prepared in the flask. Part of the suspension can be transferred to the side arm of the flask by tilting. The side arm is now introduced into the light beam of the nephelometer. Part of the incoming light is absorbed by the suspension. The exiting light beam is scattered laterally to the entering beam (the lateral scattering is based on the Tyndall effect) and measured. Laser nephelometry is mainly used for the quantification of immunologically determinable serum components (by means of antigen-antibody reactions).
