This practice permits an analyst to compare the performance of an instrument to the manufacturer's supplied performance specifications and to verify its suitability for continued routine use. It also provides generation of calibration monitoring data on a periodic basis, forming a base from which any changes in the performance of the instrument will be evident.

1. Scope

1.1 This practice covers the parameters of spectrophotometric performance that are critical for testing the adequacy of instrumentation for most routine tests and methods within the wavelength range of 200 to 700 nm and the absorbance range of 0 to 2. The recommended tests provide a measurement of the important parameters controlling results in spectrophotometric methods, but it is specifically not to be inferred that all factors in instrument performance are measured.

1.2 This practice may be used as a significant test of the performance of instruments for which the spectral bandwidth does not exceed 2 nm and for which the manufacturer's specifications for wavelength and absorbance accuracy do not exceed the performance tolerances employed here. This practice employs an illustrative tolerance of ±1 % relative for the error of the absorbance scale over the range of 0.2 to 2.0, and of ±1.0 nm for the error of the wavelength scale. A suggested maximum stray radiant power ratio of 4 × 10^-4 yields <1 % absorbance bias at an absorbance of 2. These tolerances are chosen to be compatible with many chemical applications while comfortably exceeding the uncertainty of the certified values for the reference materials and typical manufacturer's specifications for error in the wavelength and absorbance scales of the instrument under test. The user is encouraged to develop and use tolerance values more appropriate to the requirements of the end use application. This procedure is designed to verify quantitative performance on an ongoing basis and to compare one instrument's performance with that of other similar units. Refer to Practice E275 to extensively evaluate the performance of an instrument.

1.3 This practice should be performed on a periodic basis, the frequency of which depends on the physical environment within which the instrumentation is used. Thus, units handled roughly or used under adverse conditions (exposed to dust, chemical vapors, vibrations, or combinations thereof) should be tested more frequently than those not exposed to such conditions. This practice should also be performed after any significant repairs are made on a unit, such as those involving the optics, detector, or radiant energy source.

1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.

1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.

ASTM Standards

E131 Terminology Relating to Molecular Spectroscopy

E169 Practices for General Techniques of Ultraviolet-Visible Quantitative Analysis

E275 Practice for Describing and Measuring Performance of Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrophotometers

E387 Test Method for Estimating Stray Radiant Power Ratio of Dispersive Spectrophotometers by the Opaque Filter Method

E1866 Guide for Establishing Spectrophotometer Performance Tests

NIST Publications

Keywords

absorbance; molecular spectroscopy; reference materials; spectrophotometers; UV/visible; wavelength; Absorbance; Absorption--spectrochemical instrumentation; Band-pass spectrophotometers; Calibration--spectrochemical analysis instrumentation; Molecular spectroscopy; Narrow-band-pass instrumentation; Performance--spectrochemical equipment; Radiation exposure; Reference materials (RM); Spectral absorption; Spectral data--metals/alloys; Spectrophotometry--absorption; SRE (stray radiant energy); Ultraviolet (UV) analysis; Ultraviolet (UV) calibration; Wavelength accuracy;

ICS Code

ICS Number Code 17.180.30 (Optical measuring instruments); 71.040.50 (Physicochemical methods of analysis)

Citing ASTM Standards

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