The reflectance from industrial pulping solutions was investigated with the
use of a reflectometer. It was observed that the reflectance is time-depen
dent on the contamination of the probe window. The optical constants of the
pulping solutions were calculated by using Fresnel's theory and the concep
t of critical angle. A simple mathematical model, based on the random conta
mination of the probe window, was observed to yield satisfactory agreement
between the measurement and theory of reflectance. It is proposed that opti
cal constants of pulping solutions can be estimated despite the contaminate
d layer on the prism face.