Ultra micro spectrophotometer is a common equipment used for quantitative analysis of nucleic acids, proteins, and other molecules in our daily experiments. It has a high frequency of use and fast detection speed. Usually, we pay attention to its detection concentration range, detection speed, detection function, and other directly related parameters. In addition to the above, the light source parameters also have a significant impact on the service life of the equipment.
Common types of light sources:
The common types of light sources include halogen lamps (tungsten lamps) and xenon lamps. Halogen tungsten lamps are composed of tungsten wires in glass bulbs. Tungsten used as a filament material evaporates at high temperatures. The halogen part inside the lamp will return the evaporated tungsten to the filament, thereby extending the service life of the filament.
It provides a usable wavelength range from 330nm to 900nm in the visible to near-infrared region, with a typical lifespan of 3000 hours. Due to its wavelength range limitation, deuterium lamps are usually used in conjunction with ultra micro spectrophotometers.
Deuterium lamp is a type of lamp that seals gaseous deuterium in a light bulb and emits light through plasma discharge. Its wavelength range covers the ultraviolet region of 190nm to 400nm, with a stable light intensity distribution and a lifespan of generally around 1000 hours.
Xenon lamp is a discharge light source, with xenon gas sealed in a quartz glass bulb. The spectral distribution of xenon lamps is similar to that of sunlight, producing a continuous high-intensity spectrum from ultraviolet to near-infrared (185nm~910nm). Xenon lamps generate light through pulse ignition to achieve complete spectral scanning after detection. Pulsed light generally has a relatively low power, generates little heat, and has a relatively long service life, equivalent to continuous flicker of over 5000 hours at 50 hertz.
