Abstract
The different existing techniques for measuring the absorption coefficient are presented with their advantages and disadvantages. The recurrent problem when measuring absorption appears to be the scattering of light by particles. A solution could be a point source integrating cavity absorption meter. In such an instrument, the sample is enclosed in a spherical cavity made with highly reflective walls. As a result the measurement is not affected by scattering. The development and first experiments made with such an absorption meter at the University of Plymouth are presented in this paper.