Best Mini Spectrophotometer

February 05, 2016

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research
Laboratory Technician

Overall

Performance

Ease-of-Optimization

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Company:

Thermo Scientific NanoDrop Products

Product Name:

Nanodrop 2000

Catalog Number:

ND-2000

Our lab regularly measures the concentration of nucleic acids in solution, and we often don't have very much solution to measure. Our spectrophotometer of choice is the Nanodrop 2000 because it doesn't require a cuvette or extra sample preparation. Furthermore, it only uses up a single microliter of solution for the measurement.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

Measuring Nucleic Acid Concentration in Solution

Starting Material

Nucleic Acids In Solution

Protocol Overview

Log in to the attached computer and bring up the NanoDrop program. Click on the nucleic acid button, then load a 1 uL sample of molecular-grade water to initialize the instrument. Dry the stage and then blank the machine with 1 uL of your nucleic acid solvent. Dry the stage again, load 1 uL of your sample, and hit the button on the program to measure the concentration of nucleic acids.

Tips

Properly clean off the stage after each and every measurement

Results Summary

Because the NanoDrop 2000 is connected to a computer and running a program, it's extremely easy to output your results for multiple samples. It even keeps a running log so that you can check back periodically on whatever measurements you've made. We have tested the accuracy of this instrument against a traditional spectrophotometer (using cuvettes) and found no appreciable difference, besides the amount of time that it takes to prepare and measure a cuvette (ignoring the time it takes to setup a standard curve).

Features Summary

Automatically outputs measurements to the computer for easy printing or saving.

Additional Notes

None

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Summary

The Good

Ease of use, accuracy

The Bad

Expensive, requires constant stage cleaning

The Bottom Line

This is the best way to measure the concentration of nucleic acids in solution, whether RNA or DNA. The NanoDrop 2000 is extremely easy to use and outputs its measurements quickly and efficiently. If your lab regularly measures the concentration of nucleic acids in low volumes of solution, this is the machine for you. It comes highly recommended.

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