Fluorometer

Fluorometer is an instrument that measures the intensity and wavelength distribution of fluorescence emission after the excitation of the sample with light of a specific wavelength. Fluorometers are widely used in biological, chemical, and environmental labs for the study of organic and inorganic substances.

Principle of Operation

A fluorometer typically consists of a light source, often a mercury arc lamp or xenon arc lamp, or more recently, LEDs or lasers. The light from this source passes through an excitation filter, which selects the excitation wavelength. The light then passes through the sample. Some of the light is absorbed by the sample and then re-emitted as fluorescence. This light passes through an emission filter, which selects the fluorescence wavelength, and then goes to a detector, often a photomultiplier tube or photodiode.

Types of Fluorometers

There are several types of fluorometers including:

• Filter fluorometers: These are the simplest type of fluorometer. They use filters to isolate the incident light and the fluorescent light.

• Spectrofluorometers: These are more sophisticated and versatile. They use monochromators instead of filters. This allows the user to select the wavelengths for excitation and emission.

• Time-resolved fluorometers: These measure the decay rate of the fluorescence, which can provide additional information about the sample.

Applications

Fluorometers have a wide range of applications in various fields such as:

• Biochemistry: In biochemistry, fluorometers are used to measure the concentration of specific substances in a sample, using fluorescent dyes.

• Medicine: In medicine, fluorometers are used in various diagnostic procedures, for example, to measure the concentration of certain compounds in blood or urine.

• Environmental science: In environmental science, fluorometers are used to measure the presence of certain pollutants in water or air.

See Also

• Spectrophotometry
• Fluorescence spectroscopy
• Fluorescence microscope

References

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