{"id":3525,"date":"2014-01-17T10:00:53","date_gmt":"2014-01-17T16:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coleparmer.com\/blog\/?p=3525"},"modified":"2022-12-07T10:42:32","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T16:42:32","slug":"choosing-a-spectrophotometer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coleparmer.com\/blog\/choosing-a-spectrophotometer\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing a Spectrophotometer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Spectrophotometers help us see what our human eye cannot by measuring the amount of light absorbed by a medium or object or the amount of light reflected from the medium or object. This measurement of light intensity at different wavelengths helps identify the structure or concentration of substances in a sample.<\/p>\n<p>Spectrophotometry is used in many branches of science including chemistry, forensics, microbiology, physics, biology, and even in textiles. It may help identify or recognize the composition of evidence from a crime scene, or determine enzyme-catalyzed reactions, or to measure cell culture density.<\/p>\n<p>Sample solutions are poured into cuvettes, which are inserted into the spectrophotometer to be read. The cuvette should be tested for performance by running it in the spectrophotometer several times. Inconsistencies in values may indicate poor molding or poor fit. Also the spectrophotometer should be calibrated before use for accurate readings.<\/p>\n<p><b>Variables to Consider When Choosing a Spectrophotometer<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wavelength range<\/li>\n<li>Detection limits<\/li>\n<li>Density, shape, or size of the product you wish to measure<\/li>\n<li>Analytical working range<\/li>\n<li>Sample throughput (single sample vs. multi-sample)<\/li>\n<li>Data quality<\/li>\n<li>Cost of instrument and associated consumables<\/li>\n<li>Customizable and\/or pre-configured method options<\/li>\n<li>Measurement time<\/li>\n<li>Footprint of instrument<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Types of spectrophotometers include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coleparmer.com\/Category\/Visible_UV_Visible_Spectroscopy\/5469?referred_id=5618\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Visible Light Spectrophotometers<\/a>,<b> <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coleparmer.com\/Category\/Visible_UV_Visible_Spectroscopy\/5469?referred-id=5618\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow noopener noreferrer\">UV\/Visible Spectrophotometers<\/a><strong>, <\/strong>Near-Infrared (IR or NIR) Spectrophotometer<strong>, <\/strong>NMR<strong>, <\/strong>Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer<strong>, <\/strong>Mercury Spectrophotometer or Analyzer<strong>, <\/strong>and Fluorometers.<\/p>\n<p>Users can obtain quick and accurate measurements in the field with specialty spectrophotometers (such as the mercury analyzer). These units are often used for environmental testing, especially in assessing drinking, surface, saline, and waste waters. They are effective when surveying water quality and monitoring hazardous wastewater.<b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spectrophotometers help us see what our human eye cannot by measuring the amount of light absorbed by a medium or object or the amount of light reflected from the medium or object. This measurement of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[1514],"class_list":["post-3525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-for-the-lab","tag-spectrophotometer"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Choosing a Spectrophotometer | from Cole-Parmer Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.coleparmer.com.cn\/blog\/choosing-a-spectrophotometer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Choosing a Spectrophotometer | from Cole-Parmer Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Spectrophotometers help us see what our human eye cannot by measuring the amount of light absorbed by a medium or object or the amount of light reflected from the medium or object. 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