26) Lab Essentials : Spectro-Photo-Meter

Microbiology Lab Essentials :

26) Spectro-photo-meter : 🌈

A spectrophotometer is an instrument that measures the amount of photons 

(the intensity of light) absorbed after it passes through sample solution.

With the spectrophotometer, the amount of a known chemical substance (concentrations) can also be determined by measuring the intensity of light detected.

Depending on the range of wavelength of light source, it can be classified into two different types : 

UV-Visible Spectrophotometer : uses light over the ultraviolet range (185 - 400 nm) and visible range (400 - 700 nm) of electromagnetic radiation spectrum.

Spectrophotometry is a method to measure how much a chemical substance absorbs light by measuring the intensity of light as a beam of light passes through sample solution.

The basic principle is that each compound absorbs or transmits light over a certain range of wavelength.

The amazing thing about spectrophotometry is that it can theoretically be used to measure any substance that absorbs light.

For instance, spectrophotometry can quantify nucleic acids, proteins and bacterial density, but it also can measure bitterness compounds IBUs (international bitterness units) in brewed beer.

             Spectrophotometer Cuvettes...

Depending on the range of wavelength of light source, it can be classified into two different types : 

UV-visible spectrophotometer : uses light over the ultraviolet range (185 - 400 nm) and visible range (400 - 700 nm) of electromagnetic radiation spectrum.