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3.2: APPENDIX A- Common biochemistry laboratory procedures used multiple times in URIECA modules 4 and 5.

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    1. Turn on the spectrophotometer.
    2. Open the “simple reads” program, found as a desktop icon or under the Cary WinUV menu under the “Start” button.
    3. The lamps are on if under the “Commands” menu “Lamps Off” is displayed. If “Lamps On” is displayed, click on it to turn on the lamps. For accurate measurements, allow the lamp to warm up for at least 15 minutes before use.
    4. To set the instrument, click the “Setup…” command button on the left side of the screen. In the “Read the wavelength” scroll box, type in the desired wavelength. The “Abs” button in “Y mode” should be selected. When the setup is complete, click the “OK” button to exit the window.
    5. Prior to measuring the absorbance of your samples, you must zero the instrument. To do this, open the lid and determine which cell is in the light path. Insert a cuvette with your blanking solution in the instrument. Close the lid completely, and press the “Zero” command button on the left side of the screen to zero the instrument at the chosen wavelength. The blank should now have a absorbance read of zero give or take the small amount of “noise” present at all times.
    6. You are now ready to measure the absorbance of your samples. Insert a cuvette containing a sample into the instrument, close the lid completely, and press the “Read” button at the top of the screen. Record the absorbance measurement.
    7. Under the “File” menu, select “Print” to print your data.
    8. When finished, close the program and return to the desktop.
    9. Turn off the lamps, then turn off the instrument.

    This page titled 3.2: APPENDIX A- Common biochemistry laboratory procedures used multiple times in URIECA modules 4 and 5. is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Elizabeth Vogel Taylor (MIT OpenCourseWare) .