Are your experiment results unusual? The following sections discuss possible reasons and solutions.
Many things may go wrong while studying with a quartz cuvette. Cells often provide strange readings. There may be several causes. In this article, we’ll discuss common test-related issues.
Tip 1 for Quartz Cuvettes: Clean those Cuvettes!
Start with dirty cuvettes. Someone asked what impact a filthy cuvette might have. In spectrophotometers, dirty cuvettes absorb less light. This indicates increased light absorption to the equipment.
Dirty cuvettes provide erroneous findings. Cuvettes are difficult to clean. Follow our Quartz Cuvette Washing instructions to clean cuvettes faster.
Tip 2: Make sure to dry the cuvettes.
In a haste, people often use cuvettes before they’re dry. letting a cuvette’s cleaning solution or water sit. It’s an issue. Water or cleaning solution in the test solution might give erroneous findings. You won’t know how much to dilute.
Cleaning solution or water outside the sample won’t contaminate it. Water/CS in the optical beam will invalidate the results. Before inserting a cuvette in a spectrophotometer, make sure it’s dry.
Using a lens cloth and compressed air helps speed up drying. Flip the cuvette and blast compressed air into it. Compressed air removes water from quartz cuvette corners.
Pass the cuvette through the lens cloth while holding it between your fingers. Thumb and pointer finger may dry a cuvette on both sides. You’ve finished both cuvette sides. Compressed air and a lens cloth take 30 seconds.
What can professionals teach us?
Tip 3: Use a pipette to fill a cuvette every time.
Even the best pourers spill or drop their cuvettes. A cheap plastic pipette is rapid, accurate, and spill-free.
This site sells quartz pipettes.
Tip 4 for using a quartz cuvette: ALWAYS USE A CUVETTE RACK
Cuvettes need a rack. We wrote a complete essay on cuvette racks. A cuvette rack makes filling quartz cuvettes easier. Full story here. It’s also a safe place to dry them.
Tip 5 for using a quartz cuvette: Make sure to wear gloves
The glove compartment is “too spread out” for me, as I’ve remarked. This time, I can hold the cuvette with bare hands. Once becomes twice, etc.
With bare hands, you’ll contaminate a quartz cuvette. Quartz becomes dirty from hand oils and grime. This means grease and dust will affect optical surfaces’ light transmission.
If your experiments provide strange results, check your cuvettes and spectrophotometer. Follow the tips above to save time and hassle.
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