Improved optical components have been developed for a new generation of spectrophotometers, while software with new functions (smoothing, derivatives of several orders, etc.) have been set up for the elaboration of the recorded absorption spectra. These implementations allow the possibility of measuring the concentration of chromophores contained in the glass, even in the case of samples with a complex geometry. However, a general procedure cannot be established, as a result of difficulties in making comparisons among the real industrial glass samples that may show dramatic differences in geometry and colouring element concentration. The lack of adequate documentation and the differences in the spectroscopy software supplied by instrumentation manufacturers further delay the development of a reliable standard approach.
