Spectrofluorometer

The FluoroMax-2 (Horiba-Jobin Yvon) is a laboratory-based spectrofluorometer system, under the total control of Datamax spectroscopy software. Light from a 150-W xenon lamp enters the excitation monochromator, which delivers monochromatic light to the sample compartment. Prior reaching the sample, however, 8% of the light is directed to the reference photodiode via a quartz beam splitter. Light emitted from the sample is dispersed by the emission monochromator and directed to the signal photomultiplier detector. This signal, once suitably amplified, is then fed to the computer. It is equipped with a computer controlled Peltier thermostatted cell holder (-10-80°C).
Several kinds of measurements can be performed. For instance, by stepping either or both monochromators through s spectral region and recording the signal intensity as a function of wavelength, a simple spectrum is obtained. Scanning the excitation monochromator with the emission monochromator at a fixed wavelength yields an excitation spectrum (comparable to the absorption spectrum, since in both cases is the electronic ground state distribution of the fluorophore being described).