Question

At high concentrations, the relationship between absorbance and concentration becomes non-linear. What is the commonly accepted linear range of absorbance for Beer's Law?

1) 0-0.2
2) 0-0.5
3) 0-1.0
4) 0-2.0

Answer 1

The commonly accepted linear range of absorbance for Beer's Law is 0-1.0. This range is important to maintain during UV-vis spectroscopy to ensure accurate concentration measurements in various biochemical assays.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Beer's Law, or Beer-Lambert Law, establishes a linear relationship between absorbance and concentration of a substance in a solution. However, this linear relationship holds true only within a certain range of absorbance values. The commonly accepted linear range of absorbance for Beer's Law is 0-1.0. Beyond this range, the relationship can become non-linear due to various factors such as light scattering, reagent limitations, and detector saturation.

It's crucial to stay within the linear range during UV-vis spectroscopy applications, such as measuring the concentration of DNA, RNA, or proteins, to ensure accurate calculations following completion of assays. Using the absorbance at a specific wavelength and the molar absorptivity coefficient, concentration can be calculated for compounds such as chromophores in biological samples.