Description
Every chemical compound absorbs, transmits, or reflects light (electromagnetic radiation) over a certain range of wavelength. Spectrophotometry is a measurement of how much a chemical substance absorbs or transmits. Spectrophotometry is widely used for quantitative analysis in various areas. . Any application that deals with chemical substances or materials can use this technique.
A spectrophotometer is an instrument that measures the amount of photons (the intensity of light) absorbed after it passes through sample solution. With the spectrophotometer, the amount of a known chemical substance (concentrations) can also be determined by measuring the intensity of light detected. Depending on the range of wavelength of light source, it can be classified into two different types:
- UV-visible spectrophotometer: uses light over the ultraviolet range (185 – 400 nm) and visible range (400 – 700 nm) of electromagnetic radiation spectrum.
IR spectrophotometer: uses light over the infrared range (700 – 15000 nm) of electromagnetic radiation spectrum.