Department of Chemistry, Tufts University

Cary 60 UV/Vis Spectrophotometer –Basic Operation

These directions are for a normal wavelength scan. For further details, or other applications, consult the manual.

Turn ON

1.  Sign the logbook.

2.  Turn on the computer, monitor, and printer. Select the Cary WinUV group on the desktop, and then select .

3.  Turn on spectrophotometer. Self-calibration will start. Progress is indicated in the lower left corner of the WinUV window. The process takes about 1 minute.

4.  Insert sample. Light path is right to left. Data quality will not be affected by leaving the cover open.

Software Operation

1.  Select File/Open Method from the menu to load a previously defined method.

2.  If you don’t have a method, select the button. In tab, Enter wavelength Start, Stop, and scan speed. Faster scan speeds will increase data interval. Maximun scan speed is 24000mn/min (3s full scan). OPTIONAL-Select Cycle mode and enter cycle count and Cycle time for repetitive scans, e.g. for kinetics run. Beam Mode MUST be set to Dual Beam. The instrument is dual beam, but the reference beam is not accessible in the sample compartment..

3.  In tab select baseline correction. To collect a new baseline, remove sample, select . A baseline file can be saved as *.csw.

4.  In tab, enter Operator Name, and select report options.

5.  Accessories and Sampler tabs have no effect. No accessories are installed.

6.  Select to close the setup window. Select to scan. When scan is complete you will be prompted to run additional samples with the same method. Select or.

7.  Use Graph menu to add, remove, scale and format graphs.

8.  Use File/Save Data as... to save data. File type Data (.DSW) saves a single scan. File type Batch (.BSW) saves all displayed data. File type Method (.MSW) saves only parameters. Save as .CSV text is also available.

Plotting the spectrum

1.  Delete unwanted graphs from the window by selecting the graph, then select Graphs/Remove Graph from the menu.

2.  Select File/Print or File/Print Preview from menu.

3.  To change report format, Select . Check desired options.

Exporting Data

1.  To save data as text, select File/Save Data as from menu, select Spreadsheet ASCII as file type in the pull down menu.

2.  To copy all displayed graphs to the Windows clipboard, right click in the graph, select Copy Graph from the context menu.

Turn OFF

1.  Select File/Exit.

2.  Turn off Spectrophotometer.

3.  Shut down Windows.

4.  Turn off computer.

Additional Information

1.  The WinUV software has extensive on-line Help files.

2.  Video tutorials are available on the desktop.

3.  Copies of the hardware and software manuals, as .pdf files are on the Windows desktop.

Revised 02/17/2016

D. Wilbur