Analytical Performance of a Higher Throughput Multi-Volume Microplate Accessory for Microplate Spectrophotometer Platforms

Accurate determination of molecular concentrations is a prerequisite to the use of purified biomolecules for a multitude of downstream applications. Quantification is routinely accomplished by spectrophotometric analysis. A novel microplate accessory is described here which incorporates the ability to directly measure up to forty-eight low-volume (2µL) samples for direct quantification and two vertical 1 cm pathlength cells, in a standard microplate sized format. Its use allows a researcher to quantify samples without dilution while also allowing more dilute samples to be read in a standard 1 cm pathlength format. The analytical performance of the accessory is discussed including limit of detection, dynamic range and accuracy for the quantification of total protein and isolated nucleic acids.