Why are glass cuvettes used?
Historically, reusable quartz cuvettes were required for measurements in the ultraviolet range, because glass and most plastics absorb ultraviolet light, creating interference. … Glass, plastic and quartz cuvettes are all suitable for measurements made at longer wavelengths, such as in the visible light range.
Why is glass cuvette not suitable for UV?
Glass cells are most common in school and college undergraduate laboratories because of their lower cost. … However, glass absorbs strongly in UV region and its application is not recommended for wavelengths below 340 nm.
What is difference between quartz Cuvettes and glass Cuvettes?
This is the absolute best way to determine what material an unknown cuvette is made out of. Other differences between quartz and glass cuvettes include the following:
- Transmission properties – as you can see from the information above quartz has a bigger transmission range than glass.
- Thermal Properties – A quartz material has a much higher melting point than glass.
- Chemical Compatibility – The chemical structure of quartz is stronger than glass making it able to handle a bigger range of chemicals that would melt or damage a glass cuvette.
- Modifications – Here is where glass cuvettes really shine. A pyrex cuvette is super easy to modify and make attachments to. Quartz cuvettes can be modified but is a much bigger process.
Physical characteristics of cuvette:
- High mechanical strength, strong adaptability to temperature changes, very strong bonding part, pressure resistance to several atmospheric pressures.
- Extremely precise optical processing technology, the optical performance of the light-transmitting surface is excellent, and the grouping error is ≤0.3%.
- Use high-quality quartz glass and optical glass to ensure no bubbles and no stripes. The quartz cuvette is greater than 80% at a wavelength of 200nm, and the glass cuvette is greater than 80% at a wavelength of 340nm.
It has recently been found that the inability to properly measure or cause large errors due to improper selection or use of cuvettes often occurs in experiments, and this problem is easily overlooked by the experimenter. A brief description of the correct choice of cuvettes is now available.
- Common cuvettes are divided into quartz and glass.
- Only 200-400 nm in the ultraviolet region can be used with quartz cuvettes. A glass cuvette or a quartz cuvette can be used in the visible light region of 400-1100 nm.
- the standard Q and S are generally quartz, the standard G is generally glass. If there is no mark or the mark is unclear, the instrument can be adjusted to the ultraviolet region of about 200 nm, and the T% mode is selected. After the air is zeroed, the display shows 100%T, and the clean cuvettes are inserted into the sample cell holder. (Double-beam UV can only be used in the sample cell.) If the transmittance is between 60% and 90% T, it is a quartz cuvette. If the transmission is below 1%, it is a glass cuvette.
- The cuvettes should be paired and used. The transmittance of the two cuvettes is measured by the method of 3, and the difference is less than 0.5%.
As a Chinese laboratory glassware manufacturer, WUBOLAB caters to your glassware procurement requirements.
