Spectrometers
How Accurate Is XRF Analysis? 7 Key Factors That Affect Accuracy
How accurate is XRF analysis? XRF analysis can provide reliable results for many elemental analysis tasks, but there is no fixed accuracy value that applies to all samples and all applications. Actual accuracy is affected by factors such as sample type, element concentration, matrix effects, sample preparation, calibration method, instrument configuration, and measurement conditions. Therefore, when…
How Does a Bomb Calorimeter Work? Working Principle Explained
How does a bomb calorimeter work? A bomb calorimeter determines the heat of combustion and calorific value of a sample by burning a weighed sample in excess oxygen inside a sealed oxygen bomb and measuring the temperature rise of the surrounding water caused by the heat released during combustion. The entire measurement process can be…
Why Is Digestion Needed for AAS Sample Preparation? A Practical Guide
If you ever get unexpected results from your AAS analysis and don’t know why, the first place to investigate is often sample preparation. Much of the problem can come down to one often-overlooked step: digestion. The instrument is only part of the process; getting the sample into a suitable form for analysis is just as…
FTIR vs Raman: 7 Key Differences & How to Choose
FTIR vs Raman. The comparison centers on detection. Each technique reads molecular vibrations in its own way. Fit to the sample and analytical goal varies. FTIR measures infrared absorption. Raman measures inelastic scattering. Two spectroscopic techniques. Different physical mechanisms. They probe molecular structure from complementary angles. Not replacements. In practical analytical work, the choice depends on…
Flame AAS vs Graphite Furnace AAS: 7 Key Differences
lThe main difference between flame AAS vs graphite furnace AAS is driven by a practical balance. Speed, sensitivity, sample size, workload. Those four factors set the choice. Flame AAS, or FAAS, favors speed and sample throughput. Routine element analysis, samples at relatively higher concentrations, that is where FAAS fits. Graphite Furnace AAS, or GFAAS, offers higher…
AAS Calibration: 7 Steps to Build a Calibration Curve
AAS calibration is the process of establishing and verifying the relationship between analytical signal and analyte concentration, while an AAS calibration curve is used to quantify unknown samples within the applicable working range. A well controlled calibration process is essential for obtaining reliable quantitative results. Problems during calibration can affect the accuracy and comparability of subsequent sample measurements….
Why Does the Same Sample Give Different FTIR Spectra? 5 Common Causes
You do an FTIR analysis and then do it again on the same sample a few minutes later and the two spectra seem considerably different. The peaks shift, the baseline slopes change or a band you weren’t expecting all of a sudden arrives. If this has happened to you, you are not the only one….
Why Is My UV-Vis Spectrophotometer Blank Unstable? 6 Common Causes
You set your blank, run a few samples, and come back to re-zero, only to find the reading has already shifted. This is one of the more frustrating aspects of UV-Vis work and usually crops up at inconvenient moments. A spectrophotometer blank serves as the baseline of everything else that follows; when it starts fluctuating…
Does Your Lab Really Need a Nano Spectrophotometer? A Practical Guide for Researchers
Sample volume is important for the obvious reason that you’ve probably done a DNA extraction and then found you don’t have enough material to do one measurement. One of the more prevalent obstacles in life science research is precise quantification of nucleic acids and proteins with limited amounts, and the correct equipment can make a…
Why Are Your Brix Readings Different? 5 Common Automatic Refractometer Mistakes
You run the same sample again on your automatic refractometer and receive two different Brix readings. Run it again and you get a third result. At this point, it’s natural to think the instrument is broken, although it’s frequently not the case. One common reason for inconsistent Brix readings is that something in the measurement…
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