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PII: S0263-2241(18)31190-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2018.12.045
Reference: MEASUR 6179
Please cite this article as: M.L.C. Passos, M.L.M.F. Saraiva, Detection in UV-visible spectrophotometry: Detectors,
detection systems, and detection strategies, Measurement (2018), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.
2018.12.045
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Detection in UV-visible spectrophotometry: Detectors, detection systems,
Faculty of Pharmacy, Porto University, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto,
Portugal
*Corresponding authors:
1
Name: Marieta L. C. Passos
discussed. It is shown that this evolution has promoted the use of UV-Vis spectrophotometry
as a simple, sensitive, reliable, and low cost technique, that allows the determination of very
low concentrations of compounds, and the use of very small amounts of samples. The
versatility, and the portability of the developed equipment and strategies, have also
contributed for the continuous use of UV-Vis spectrophotometry, over the years.
By the examples of its use in diverse fields such as agriculture, food, clinical, pharmaceutical,
The electromagnetic spectrum includes a wide range of energy frequencies, but the most
useful is in the range between >1019 (γ-rays) and 103 Hz (radiowaves). The visible region is a
small region of the spectrum and the visible light differ from the other type of radiation in the
frequency of energy of its photons. The absorption of light in the UV-Vis wavelength
(between ~180-800 nm) occurs frequently from many molecules such as a wide number of
organic molecules. The main energy changes happen at electronic level but can also happen at
vibrational quantum levels 1. n→σ* and σ → σ* transitions need more energy and are related
with absorption in the UV region and π →π* transition with absorption in the UV–Vis region.
The area of the molecule where the electronic transitions happen is called chromophore 2.
When the molecule is transparent in this region, derivatization can be used (Schiff base
Using the derivatization, the sensitivity and sometimes the selectivity of the UV-Vis
(based on solvent or sorbent extraction or membrane separation) 7, 8. However, these are all
strategies to increase the possibility of an improved detection. During the recent past, a rapid
progress in the detection processes in UV-Vis spectrophotometry has been reported, in order
to improve the sensitivity, precision, and accuracy and at the same time to minimize the cost
and the time of analysis. However, most part of the published papers or book chapters are
specific fields such as the environment 11 or the pharmaceutical 3 or specific analytes such as
data13, 14. When the instrumentation is focused, the attention is divided between light sources,
monochromators, sample cells and detectors1. Even when the different detectors are compared
15
, it has been made in an abbreviated way. In the best of our knowledge there are not any
reference that compiled all the information about different kinds of detectors and, at the same
time, the detection system that have been developed using the referred detector associated
with other instrumentation, and the detection strategies that have been used in UV-Vis
spectrophotometry. Thus, in this paper, it is intended to highlight the different and more
actualized detectors, detection systems resulted from their development, and different
applications in the determination of organic compounds. A flow diagram about the article
structure is presented in figure 1 in order to guide the readers throughout the text.
spectral range approximately around 190-800 nm, which also differ in terms of energy ranges,
and type of excitation from other related regions (Table 1). This attenuation results from the
attenuation can be done recording only the absorbance. Within some limits, the absorbance is
proportional to the concentration of the analyte to determine and to the distance of the light
when it passes through the sample during the irradiation. This relationship is called Beer’s
c is the absorber concentration in mol L-1 9. This linear relationship can be influenced by
compounds in the sample, interactions between the analyte and the solvent, and the pH 1, 9.
3. Detectors
The function of a UV-Vis detector is to convert a light signal into an electric signal. Ideally, it
must respond in a wide wavelength range, respond with high sensitivity and with low noise,
have a linear response range, have a fast response, allow the miniaturization and a low
consumption of sample. In order to achieve an ideal detector, many detectors, that are
3.1 Photomultipliers
electrodes (dynodes) and an anode. The cathode when stricken by a photon, emits several
electrons that are accelerated towards the dynodes, since they are a release of many secondary
electrons. Those ones are accelerated to the next electrode where each one releases more
electrons. In the end, they are collected on the anode and consequently the final output is
The use of photomultipliers that are very sensitive, allow the detection of very low levels of
light, and high wavelength resolution since they permit the use of narrow slit widths. They
The operation of a photodiode detector array is based on the fact that each diode in the array
is reverse-biased. Before the exposition of the detector to the light, the diodes are completed
charged through a transistor switch. When the light is reaching the PDA charge carriers will
be generated in the silicon. These carriers will neutralize the stored charges that have the
opposite polarity. Thus, this lost amount of charge is directly proportional to the light received
by the detector and it is measured during the recharge process of each diode, measuring the
PDA have the ability to monitor at all wavelengths. Thus, they have been widely used
as multichannel detectors. In addition, they can record a complete spectrum in a very short
period of time, since the movement of the diffractor does not affect the scan time.
Consequently, they are able to detect transient signals, such it happens in HPLC and flow
analysis 12. Additionally, PDA present some advantages such as the ability to quantify large
photon fluxes, high quantum efficiency, and the high height-to-width aspect ratio. Despite
these advantages, PDA present some drawbacks, such as a relevant dark current and a high
read noise 18. The development of charged-coupled devices was performed in order to resolve
these disadvantages.
The definition proposed by the Royal Society of Chemistry for the charged-coupled device is
a detector that uses a silicon chip to convert light into an electric signal. The Si chip absorbs a
photon and releases a single electron. The chip surface is covered by electrodes that hold the
incident light 19. Thus, CCD present some advantages such as a low dark count rate, a low
read noise, and a high UV-Vis quantum efficiency 18, that make CCD excellent spectroscopic
detectors.
The Light-Emitting Diode (LED) consists of a p-n junction that emits a narrow band of light
frequencies when forward biased 20, 21. Since their development 22, LED have been used as an
interesting component in optical sensors 23-25, since they are inexpensive, allow the
miniaturization, the robustness and, a high efficiency. Despite their use started to be as light
sources, nowadays they have been applied in a reverse mode, as detectors 26, 27. When the
light is incident on the p-n junction, a current is generated. This current is proportional to the
light intensity 20, 21. Thus, since they can be used as a light source and detector, several
devices have been described based on Paired Emitter-Detector Diodes (PEDD) (Figure 3).
PEDD optical sensors have shown several advantages such as the low power consumption,
the reduced size, the sensitivity, the response in a large wavelength range with a high signal-
noise ratio. In addition, their output is a direct pulse-duration-modulated signal, that allows
the use of an expensive A/D converter unnecessary 28. Their advantages allow their use in
flow-through optical sensor used in chromatography 29, 30 and in flow analysis 31, 32, beyond
their use in different devices for simple absorbance measurements 33, 34.
4. Detection systems
Different detection systems resulted from the implementation of the different detectors
increase the number of analyzed samples, the sensitivity, and selectivity, to decrease of the
reagents consumption, and to allow the automation when compared with the conventional
spectrophotometers.
The use of a microplate optical reader results from the necessity to minimize the amount of
sample and to analyze a large number of samples in a short period of time. In this kind of
devices, the samples are placed in microplates pits instead of cells. The microplates usually
have between 6 and 1536 pits, but the most frequently used are the microplates with 96 pits.
These readers allow a thermostatic control and an orbital or a linear samples shaking before
the analysis. The measurements are made moving the plate relative to the fixed probe beam,
moving the latter relative to the plate or combining both strategies. More recently, it was
possible to measure simultaneously an entire strip using a PDA or a CCD line 35 (Figure 4).
Due to the capacity to analyse a large number of samples using small volumes of these
samples, the microplate reader have been used in different fields such as in environmental
analysis, for example in the determination of biochemical oxygen demand using 2,6-
dichlorophenolindophenol (DCIP) as a redox colour indicator 36. It has also been used in
clinical analysis, for example in the quantification of bacterial pathogens' virulence on the
insect model Galleria mellonella 37, in pharmaceutical field such as in the determination of
Charged-coupled devices have been used in association with two optical fibers in order to
miniaturize the detection system. One of these fibers connect the light source to the cell
holder (where the sample is placed) and the other one connects this cell to the CCD detector.
This detection system is frequently used in association with flow systems for the
evaluation of enzymes activity such as the evaluation of peroxidase activity in fruits 41 or the
evaluation of glutathione reductase activity in order to predict the toxic effect of ionic liquids
42
.
In order to improve the sensitivity of the method, a liquid waveguide capillary cell with a long
path length, have been coupled with CCD detectors, in flow analysis manifolds. This cell is
made of a fused silica tubing coating outside with a low refractive index polymer. The liquid
sample is guided through the hole of the capillary and consists in the core of the waveguide.
This kind of cell combines the use of small sample volumes (between 2.4 μL and 3 mL) with
an increase in the optical path length (between 10 and 500 cm) 43. This kind of strategy has
been frequently used for the evaluation of some elements such as bismuth in well waters 44,
cadmium in waters 45, and manganese in seawaters 46, but it has also been used to evaluate
organic compounds such as phenols in drinking waters 47, or Tc-99, an artificial compound
The development of point-of-care testing has increased in the last decades. They intend to be
strips and lateral flow strips for the determination of cardiac markers and infectious pathogens
using immobilized antibodies are the most used technologies in this group. The second
category is composed of larger devices that result from the reduction in size and complexity
of laboratory instruments. In this category are included critical care analyzers, immunology
and small hematology analyzers 49. In order to promote, even more, the development of
have been taking place. Smart holograms 50, for example, has already been presented as a
future device.
4.5 Nanodrop
system that allows the use of very small volumes of sample (around 1μL). In these
microvolume spectrophotometers, the sample is placed between two optical surfaces, and the
surface tension of the sample allows the formation of a liquid column with a path length,
mechanically controlled (Figure 5). This control allows the use of a wide range of
concentrations, eliminating the need for dilutions. The surface tension of the sample promotes
the creation of its own container, dispensing the use of cuvettes, microcells or capillaries. This
kind of devices has been used for absorbance measurements in nucleic acids and proteins
analysis 51. It has been used, for example, to evaluate the integrity of genomic DNA isolated
from whole blood 52, for the quantification of cell-free DNA(cfDNA) in malignant melanoma
and prostate cancer patients 53, or for the analysis of gold nanoparticle-oligonucleotide
4.6 Information technology equipment (Digital cameras, video cameras and webcams, mobile
The use of information technology equipment (mobile phones, digital and video cameras,
scanners and, webcams), have been recently used as detection devices for colorimetric
chemistry. They have been applied using Microfluidic Papers based Analytical Devices
(μPADs), well plate reaction vessels and indicator papers. The use of these devices is simple,
the cost per analysis is low, and the portability allows their implementation in point of care
diagnosis and in-situ determinations in different fields 55. For example, a digital camera has
been used for the evaluation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in soil extracts 56 or brilliant green in
wastewaters 57, a mobile phone for the determination of sulfadiazine and sulfasalazine in
The integration of photodetectors in lab-on-chip has been reported for the development of
photonic biosensors. This integration allows an increment of the sensitivity, label-free and
real-time detection, promotes the automation and minimize the operator intervention. To
develop a photonic lab-on-chip device in the same platform it should be included the photonic
sensor, the valves, the pumps, the flow cell, the light source and the detector (a miniaturized
CCD camera or a PDA), the processing electronics and the firmware and software. This
integration could be considered monolithic if all the components are in the same chip or
hybrid if they are divided for different chips 60. This integration has allowed the development
of portable and easy-to-use devices for example for the evaluation of phenolic compounds 61,
The combination of an integrating sphere with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer is useful for high
characterization of solid samples, and photometric analysis of translucent, turbid and colloidal
significant photometric errors and high variation between samples since the light is lost before
to reach the detector. The use of an integrating sphere avoids this behavior since it collects all
the light which has passed through the sample 65, 66. Thus, it is very useful, for example to
evaluate the optical properties of biological tissues such as the mucosa and submucosa of
human colon tissue 67, to characterize powders with encapsulated active pigments, such as the
yellow miraxanthin V and the violet betanidin, used in food applications 68, to measure the
microorganisms.
solid phase. As solid phase, it can be used microbeads of non-polar or polymeric materials or
ion-exchange resins. After the obtained equilibrium between the sorbent active sites and the
target species, the beads are collected and placed in a cell with a few mL of a solution to be
concentration in the sample. The analyte retention on the solid support allows the analyte
obtain this enhanced sensitivity, it is crucial to use a high volume of sample (between 100-
1500 mL). Additionally, the consumption of solid support is also high since it is discarded at
every determination. However, when the batch concept is replaced by the implementation of a
SPS in flow-analysis systems, the solid phase starts to be regenerated after each determination,
performing successive measurements. Using this approach, the sorbent is placed inside the
flow cell and the retention, the preconcentration, and the detection of the analyte are
performed in the same place (the flow cell). The first time that SPS was performed in
association with flow analysis was in 1985 by Ruzicka et. al. 72. Since then, it has been
reported the association of SPS with different kinds of flow systems (flow injection analysis,
sequential injection analysis, multi-syringe flow injection, and multicommutation) 40, 73. This
promotes the association of different features such as the miniaturization with a subsequent
reagent and sample consumption and waste generation, the automation, the re-use of the solid
phase (except in bead injection approach), the versatility, the high sensitivity and selectivity 74.
5.2 Online analysis
Nowadays, the flow analysis techniques, such as Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) 75, Sequential
Injection Analysis (SIA) 76, Multicommutation Flow Injection Analysis (MCFIA) 77,
Multisyringe Flow Injection Analysis (MSFIA) 78, and Multi-Pumping Flow System (MPFS)
79
have shown to be great tools in the laboratories. This kind of flow systems present several
advantages comparing with batch procedures, such as, the increment of sample throughput,
allow the reduction of sample and reagents consumption and consequently the reduction in
the cost per analysis and the waste generation, allow the automation, reducing the operator
intervention, the errors and the time spent per analysis, allow online sample pretreatment
microfluidic devices that allow the development of new microflow analytical systems. In
addition, these systems can integrate different kinds of detectors, improving the selectivity
and the sensitivity 81, 82. However, UV-Vis spectrophotometry is the most common choice,
frequently associated with chemical derivatization, due to the simplicity and adequate
selectivity 82. In some cases, some strategies can be used to decrease the detection limit such
technique with the objective to obtain structural information about the analytes 85, 86. Liquid
(GC-MS) are hyphenated techniques frequently used 86. However, sometimes, complementary
information is required. Thus, LC and GC are hyphenated with other kinds of detection,
including the use of a PDA. The LC-UV hyphenation has been used for example, in the
is rarely used as CG detection since there are a reduced number of GC amenable compound
that absorb in the UV range, however, this number is enhanced in the Vacuum Ultraviolet
The VUV spectrophotometer was developed in order to overcome some limitations presented
qualitative and quantitative analysis 87. The CG-VUV hyphenation has been used in different
applications, such as, in the multiclass pesticide determination 88, in natural gas
characterization 89, and in fatty acid methyl esters (including saturated, monounsaturated and
A combination of different hyphenated techniques in the same setup is called hypernation and
sometimes is an option for solving some analytical problems 86. The hypernation use is
advantageous in terms of runtime, data correlation, and sample size but it presents the
disadvantage of the use of diverse and expensive spectrophotometers 86. Recently, it has been
developed hypernation techniques that combine UV, Inductively Coupled Plasma-MS (ICP-
MS), MS, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR),
detectors with LC-based operations. The hypernation LC/UV/MS has been referred as useful
products, when additional information is crucial 92, 93. The combination of VUV detection
with a GC x GC has been reported for the measurements of volatile organic compounds in
bread gas 94 and for hydrocarbon fuels analysis 95, in order to complement the selectivity of a
mass spectrometer.
6. Conclusions
A high evolution in the UV-Vis detection has happened in the last years. The development of
different kinds of detectors have been occurring in order to increase the detection capacity and
to minimize some particular drawbacks. Coupling these detectors with other instrumentation,
such as optical fibers or long path length cells, some new detection systems have appeared.
New strategies of detection, such as the solid phase spectroscopy or the hyphenation with
All the detectors, detection systems or detection strategies were developed in order to promote
simple and low cost analysis, the decrease in the detection limits, and the increase in the
sensitivity of different methodologies of analysis. Thus, it is not possible to elect the best
detector, detection system or detection strategy, since each one has particular characteristics
that can be useful in different situations according for example with the analyte, with analyte
concentration in the sample, the reaction involved in the determination, the available sample
evolve in order to keep up with the necessity to determine very low concentrations of
compounds and to promote the quantification in samples available in very small quantities.
The portability, the versatility, and the simplicity of the equipment, and its mode of use will
always be present during the development of new detectors and new strategies of detection.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
Acknowledgements
This work received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds
Tecnologia and Ministério da Educação e Ciência) under the Partnership Agreement PT2020
Factors Program - COMPETE and by National Funds through FCT - within the scope of the
project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030163. Marieta Passos thanks FCT for the financial support.
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NIR 750-2,500 13,300-4,000 1.6-0.50 vibrational
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Vibrations,
IR 2,500-25,000 4,000-400 0.50-0.050
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