In: Chemistry
Discuss the spectral features and the potential pros and cons of the plastic and quartz cuvettes.
A cuvette is a small tube of circular or square cross section, sealed at one end, made of plastic, glass, or fused quartz (for UV light) and designed to hold samples for spectroscopic experiments. Disposable plastic cuvettes are often used in fast spectroscopic assays, where speed is more important than highaccuracy. Glass cuvettes are typically for use in the wavelength range of visible light and fused quartz tends to be used in the UV through NIR ranges.
There are several different types of cuvettes commonly used; each type has different usable wavelengths at which its transparency exceeds 80%:
Plastic cuvvets are very use ful when accuracy is not the requirement but the detection and determination sample in visible range for Cell concentration at 600nm
it cant be used for accurate measurement of biomolecules concentrations like DNA and protein
Quartz cuvvets for the determination of sample in UV region like DNA ,Proteins which have absorbance in the UV region and for their quantification
very expensive and the handeling should be very careful.