What’s in Your Tube?: A Quick Guide to Measuring DNA by Spectrophotometry
Type
Blog Post
Published
July 1, 2025, 1:15 p.m.
... of light at three key wavelengths: 230 nm, 260 nm, and 280 nm. Nucleic acids exhibit a characteristic...absorption occurs below 230 nm, with a distinct secondary peak around 280 nm thanks to aromatic amino acids...your sample's absorption spectra from 260 nm towards 270 nm. If your purification protocol uses phenol...absorption peak occurs near 260 nm as expected — if the peak is closer to 270 nm, you may have phenol in your...range of wavelengths with maximal absorption at 260 nm (Figure 1A). Thanks to the Beer–Lambert law, the ...concentration based on the sample’s absorption at 260 nm (A260).
Figure 1: Characteristic absorption.... These other molecules can alter the overall 260 nm reading, distorting the final concentration calculation...