A spectroscopy method used in the chemical and physical analysis; UV VIS spectroscopy can be used to identify the chemical composition of an unknown sample by analyzing its absorption spectrum. This method can be used on many kinds of samples and does not require extensive sample preparation, making it more efficient than many other spectroscopy methods. Here are the reasons why Agilent UV VIS spectroscopy is the most efficient spectroscopy method:
What is UV Vis Spectroscopy?
UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) works by shining light through a material and recording its absorption patterns. When applied to polymers, solids, liquids or gasses, it can yield information about their chemical composition and structure—and that can have an impact on things like their physical properties and biological activity.
It’s also sensitive enough to detect trace amounts of compounds that are present in small quantities or are less polar than water. Finally, UVVis has a relatively high throughput when compared with other analytical techniques like HPLC or GC; both of those methods require samples to be derivatized before analysis. This means you don’t have to spend a lot of time optimizing your sample preparation methods or coming up with ways around difficult chromatography columns.
Introduction to how light interacts with molecules
How exactly do you analyze a material or chemical compound with your eyes? The answer to that question isn’t so simple. Human vision works because our eyes can sense light—specifically, electromagnetic radiation in a particular range of wavelengths.
Just as there’s a distinction between visual and infrared light, there are also specific ranges of light wavelengths that we can see and those that we can’t (and those are different for each individual). If you were to look at something through an ultraviolet camera, however, you would be able to see what your naked eye cannot—or more accurately, you would be able to see which materials absorb specific wavelengths of UV light.
What’s special about this technique
The power of a NIRS instrument lies in its ability to determine not only what you are looking for, but also what it’s attached to. With NIRS, you can make a big difference in your process simply by knowing how materials interact with each other. Whether you want to analyze a food for purity or optimize your water treatment process, NIRS provides valuable insights into environmental interactions and impacts on product quality.
The good news? This technique lets you get more from less—your manufacturing resources and processes. It does so by providing fast, precise information about material composition and structure. So instead of sampling 10 parts per million (ppm) across a range of samples, you can sample 1 ppm over a small range.
You might think that would result in lower resolution data, but it doesn’t—it means better data overall because there is less noise introduced during analysis. That translates to fewer tests needed to achieve desired results because you have better confidence in your findings. And when we say better confidence, we mean that NIRS will help you pinpoint problem areas faster than ever before so that you can correct them immediately—before they become costly problems down the road.
How it works
An ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrum measures how much light of different wavelengths a material will absorb. This absorption process results in what is known as an absorption spectrum: a graph that looks like a mountain range of peaks and valleys. The height of each peak represents how strongly a particular molecule will absorb certain wavelengths of light, and its position on the graph reflects which wavelength it absorbs.
The material, therefore, tells you exactly what sorts of molecules are present. When measuring a sample using Agilent UV VIS spectroscopy, you can use a technique called fluorescence or phosphorescence to determine whether your sample contains specific chemicals. In fluorescence, a beam of light is shined onto your sample, causing some of its molecules to emit their light; in phosphorescence, your sample absorbs energy from an external source and then releases it at another wavelength.
When you analyze these emissions with an instrument such as our Cary 5000 BioSciences Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer, you can learn about your samples’ molecular composition.
How it helps you perform your job better
You perform routine assays or experiments and analyze results. The productivity gains are immediately noticeable. Having to load/unload sample plates, change lamps, turn on/off power supplies, and readjust settings (and then repeat) adds up to a lot of wasted time and lowered lab productivity.
This can be especially true for assays that are run multiple times per day (e.g., toxicity tests). The amount of time required for each step above is significantly reduced with the use of an IVS system, which frees you up to do other tasks in between runs; you don’t have to wait until everything has cooled down before loading another plate into your FTIR instrument, for example.
Who can benefit from using UV Vis Spectroscopy
Anyone who needs to test products can benefit from using UV-Vis Spectroscopy. If you need to check a product for purity, stability, or even effectiveness in use, you should consider testing with UV-Vis Spectroscopy. A UV-Vis Spectrometer will be able to help you determine if your product conforms to specifications and will provide you with data that shows changes over time. Contact us today and we can show you how easy it is to get your system!
Conclusion
Today, we’ve discussed many reasons that make Agilent UV-Vis Spectrometry an effective tool for analyzing chemical compounds. From quantification to characterization, and analysis of purity—this technique can fit into almost any study. When making decisions about which type of application you want to carry out, always consider factors such as cost, time consumption and sample preparation requirements before making a final decision. Be sure to speak with your Customer Service Representative if you have further questions! Contact us today to learn more or request a free demonstration from one of our certified field applications specialists. At Bio-Rad we value customer service above all else so be sure to speak with someone directly who will be able to help you quickly and efficiently get your questions answered!