Clinical chemistry is used to analyze samples from patients to gather information about their health and tailor a treatment protocol for them. Clinical chemistry is used in medical labs, research labs, pharmaceutical companies, and academic labs. Some of the many clinical chemistry instruments used to gather information for health analysis are microscopes; blood analyzers, including cell counters; electrolyte, glucose, and oxygen analyzers; equipment for urinalysis; various immunoassays; and gel electrophoresis equipment for analyzing DNA. Clinical chemistry instruments allow scientists to determine properties in blood, urine, stool, tissues, and even DNA that can help them pinpoint the patient’s problem and how to best treat it.
When choosing clinical chemistry instruments for a lab, several factors should be taken into consideration. Know what types of materials will be analyzed and the kind of analysis that will be done on them. The volume of patient analysis to be done and the time constraints being worked within should also be taken into account. As with any lab equipment, budget and amount of room available should not be overlooked.
Absorption spectroscopy works as an analytical chemistry tool that can determine if a particular substance is present in a sample and often also quantify how much of the substance is present. Near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy is particularly common in these kinds of analytical applications.
The UV-detector inside a spectrophotometer for absorption spectroscopy can be implemented in three fundamentally different ways
This is mainly used to determine the scattering of the light by the suspended particles present in the sample solution. The instruments used for the measurement of the scattering are called nephelometer and turbidimeters. The choice between the nephelometry and turbidimetry depends upon the fraction of light scattered. This light scattering by the particles which are present in the colloids is known as the Tyndall affect.
Nephelometry is the measurement of the scattered light by the suspended particles at right angles to the incident beam. This method is mainly used for the determination of the low concentration suspensions.
Turbidimetry is the measurement of the transmitted light by the suspended particles to the incident beam. This is used for the determination of the high concentration suspensions.
Spectroscopy represents a scientific measurement technique for the studying of matter through its interaction with different components of the electromagnetic spectrum. It can measure light by breaking it down into its component colors with the help of a prism in order to study the resulting spectrum.
The concept was later expanded to include any feasible interaction with radiative energy as a function of its frequency or wavelength.
The outcome of such an interaction allows researchers to infer analytical information on the atomic or molecular structure of the matter.
A wide array of different spectroscopic techniques can be applied in virtually every domain of scientific research - from environmental analysis and biomedical sciences to space exploration endeavors.
Fluorescence is a spectrochemical analysis method in which the molecules of the analyte are excited by irradiation at a certain wavelength and the emitted radiation at a longer wavelength is measured
Light scattering is the physical character of the sample which will depend on the following:
Particle size
Wavelength
Distance of observation
Concentration of particles
Molecular weight of particles
The basis of turbidimetric analysis is the measurement of the intensity of transmitted light as a function of the cone of the suspended particles.
In nephelometry, the basic principle involved is the measurement of the intensity of the scattered light as a function of the concentration of the dispensed phase.
Atomic absorption spectroscopy, or AAS, is a technique for measuring the concentrations of metallic elements in different materials.
As an analytical technique, it uses electromagnetic wavelengths, coming from a light source.
Distinct elements will absorb these wavelengths differently. It gives a picture of what concentrations of a specific element there is in whatever material, or liquid, is being tested.
In Flame Photometry, the Flame Photometer is used to simultaneously detect and display five ions (K, Na, Li, Ca, and Ba) and to accurately determine the concentration of each within a given substance. Flame Photometry works by measuring the intensity of light emitted (measured using a wavelength of a colour) when the element is exposed to a Flame.
Since the amount of scattered light is far greater than the transmitted light in a turbid suspension, nephelometry offers higher sensitivity than turbidimetry. The amount of scattered light depends on the size and number of particles in suspension.
