Small Volume Spectrophotometers

Spectrophotometers are instruments used for measuring radiant or light energy, traditionally with a quartz cuvette. Improvements in technology now permit measuring in capillary-type or sample plate containers. Microvolume spectrophotometers, also referred to as low volume, small volume or nano-spectrophotometers, have the capacity to measure volumes in the range of 0.5 to 5 ul, some models can measure even lower. These instruments allow for quick and accurate quantification of nucleic acids and protein samples, while conserving precious samples. Some convenient features to look for are sample recovery and storage, a graphical to display results of calibration curves, kinetics or ratio measurements, separate channels for multichannel pipettes, sample protection from evaporation, pre-programmed methods, and on-board software for data acquisition and analysis.