HOW IT WORKS: UV/Vis Spectrophotometer Standards

Problem: Having to verify that an instrument is performing properly and is in calibration is becoming increasingly common for regulatory committees and internal QC procedures. This is particularly true when using UV/Vis spectrophotometers. These instruments can slowly drift out of spec as the lamp ages. In order to know that the data you are collecting is accurate it is vital to verify the instrument’s performance.

Solution: By using a NIST-traceable standard you can verify that an instrument is in fact performing as it should. This provides validity to the data that is collected with the instrument.

Many of the solutions that are available are either very costly, toxic, or not flexible and can’t meet your exact specifications. GFS Chemicals however has the ability with its In-Spec® Standards to find a solution that will better fit your requirements.

GFS Chemical’s In-Spec® product line has a broad range of solutions. For photometric accuracy there are the In-Spec® standards which can be

used from 200-900nm. These standards are very easy to use since they are non-toxic, come completely pre-made with no dilutions or mixing required and do not require special disposal procedures when you are finished using them. GFS Chemicals offers a broad range of absorbance values to match your tests or custom values are available.

To use the In-Spec®

standards you would first baseline the instrument with the supplied Background Solution then you would run the standard. You would compare the values that are obtained on your instrument to the values listed on the Certificate of Analysis. If the values are within the greater of 5% or +/- 0.004 added to your instruments state accuracy then your instrument is performing well.

GFS Chemicals also offers other standards that can be utilized to validate other aspects of an instrument’s performance. Wavelength, stray light, and resolution filters are available. When used together with the In-Spec® photometric standards you can check the overall health of your spectrophotometer .

The In-Spec®

product line also offers a solution designed specifically for the increasingly popular short pathlength (1mm) instruments. These instruments utilize a very short pathlength of light and small sample usage. The In-Spec® Nano-Kit consists of two standards to check the absorbance values at 260, 280, and 320nm. These wavelengths are the most common for DNA/RNA quantification tests. The kit comes with data for those wavelengths at a 1mm pathlength.

When properly used and documented, the use of a secondary, NIST-traceable standard can provide you the security and peace of mind in knowing that the data you collect with your instrument is in fact accurate.

HOW IT WORKS: UV/Vis Spectrophotometer Standards