Instruments
Spectrophotometer
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
A spectrophotometer measures the intensity of light a sample transmits or reflects as a function of wavelength, comparing it against a reference to reveal how strongly the sample absorbs light at each wavelength, which in turn reveals what the sample contains and in what concentration. The chemist and instrument maker Arnold O. Beckman introduced the Beckman DU spectrophotometer in 1941, the first commercially viable instrument of its kind, and it became a standard fixture of analytical chemistry and biochemistry laboratories for decades.
Facts
Invented YearSourced to the subject's own account MeasuresThe amount of ultraviolet or visible light at discrete wavelengths that a sample absorbs or transmits, compared against a reference blank. 2 Operating PrincipleLight from a source passes through a wavelength selector and then through the sample; a detector converts the transmitted light into an electronic signal that is processed into absorbance values revealing the sample's composition and concentration. 2 Operating RangeRoughly 100 to 780 nanometers overall, spanning the ultraviolet region (about 190 to 400 nanometers) and the visible region (about 380 to 780 nanometers). 2 Open Questions
ResolutionNot stated as a numeric figure in the cited source. 2 No resolution or precision value given. Cross-Tradition Connections
Invented By
The Beckman DU spectrophotometer, introduced in 1941, set the standard design for the instrument class.
Used In
Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.