UV/VIS Spectrophotometer

UV-VIS spectrophotometers or UV-VIS Spectrometers use light to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze samples based on how much light travels through the sample and how much is reflected off of it. A variety of biological and chemical measurements can be conducted within the ultraviolet spectrum (190 to 380 nm) and visible spectrum (380 to 760 nm). Common applications include absorabance measurements at 600 nm for turbidity of bacterial cultures and absorbance at wavelengths of 260 nm, 230 nm, and 280 nm for calculating purity ratios of nucleic acids and proteins. UV-Vis spectrophotometers can operate using a single beam, double beam, or split beam optical design. In single beam UV-Vis spectrophotometers, a single light path is used to measure light intensity before and after the sample is put in place. In contrast, the double beam version sends one beam through a reference sample and another beam through the analysis sample, enabling a simultaneous measurement.