Aerial view of campus with Williamsport, the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Mountain as a backdrop

Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-VIS) Spectrophotometry

uvs

Olivia English (l) and Michelle Morone (r) determine the UV-vis spectrum of a sample

Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrophotometry (UV-VIS) is useful for both quantitative and qualitative work. The technique is based on the interaction of a sample compound with the ultraviolet and neighboring visible portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The absorption of light is associated with electronic transitions within the sample compound. Our particular instrument is a Cary Bio 50 ultraviolet-visible spetrophotometer, acquired in 2002 with funding from the National Science Foundation.* The HPLC is also equipped with a diode-array UV-VIS detector.

* This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0116502.