Quartz Cuvettes

Quartz Cuvettes Advantages:

1. Great UV Transmission: Performs much better than glass in the UV range (glass cuts off at around 340nm), ideal for detecting nucleic acids and proteins using UV light.
2. Chemically Inert: Can tolerate strong acids (not including hydrofluoric acid) and organic solvents without getting corroded by samples.
3. Heat - Resistant: Able to handle sudden temperature changes from -80°C to 1000°C (for example, detect right after quenching in liquid nitrogen).
4. Precise Optical Path: Has an error of no more than ±0.01mm (like Hellma brand), which helps to keep the data consistent.

How to clean quartz cuvettes:

1. Rinse:Wash the inside and outside with deionized or distilled water to remove dirt and unevaporated reagents.
2. Soak:For tough stains, soak in a proper solvent. Use ethanol or acetone for organic stains. Soak 15 - 30 minutes, then rinse well with deionized water.

Clean Special Stains:

1. Protein Stains:First soak in a weak sodium hydroxide solution (0.1mol/L) for protein stains. Soak 10 - 15 minutes, then rinse with deionized water, ethanol, and deionized water again.
2. Metal Ion Stains:Soak in a weak hydrochloric acid solution (0.1mol/L) for metal ion stains. Soak 10 - 15 minutes, then rinse with deionized water till the rinse water's pH is near neutral.

Drying:

1. Air Dry:Let the clean cuvette dry on clean filter paper. Avoid dust.
2. Oven Dry:For quick drying, use a low - temp oven (60 - 80°C). But make sure the cuvette is clean and water - free first to prevent cracking.