{"id":2520,"date":"2013-09-25T17:42:32","date_gmt":"2013-09-26T00:42:32","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-08-28T14:44:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T21:44:06","slug":"2520","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/2520","title":{"rendered":"What types of liquids can be poured into your plastic colorimeter or spectrophotometer cuvettes without harming the cuvette?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"\/product\/plastic-cuvettes-visible-range\/\">Plastic Cuvettes (Visible Range)<\/a> (<nobr>CUV<\/nobr>)<br \/><a href=\"\/product\/plastic-cuvettes-4-sided-clear\/\">Plastic Cuvettes (4 sided - Clear)<\/a> (<nobr>CUV-4S<\/nobr>)<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are disposable cuvettes we sell for our colorimeters and [visible light] spectrophotometers. They are made of polystyrene, which can be damaged by many different types of liquid substances. Examples of common liquids that should <strong><em>NOT<\/em><\/strong> be poured into these cuvettes: ketones (acetone, 2-butanone), alkanes (hexanes, heptane), and highly concentrated acids or bases.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"\/product\/plastic-cuvettes-uv-vis\/\">Plastic Cuvettes (UV-VIS)<\/a> (<nobr>CUV-UV<\/nobr>)<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are disposable cuvettes we sell for use with UV-VIS spectrophotometers. They are made of a proprietary plastic, but many of the same liquids can damage these cuvettes as well. <\/p>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Compatibility of Plastic Cuvettes to Various Liquid Substances<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Poor:<\/strong>\u00a0the cuvette <em><strong>will be damaged<\/strong><\/em> with 24 hours (or less) of exposure to the chemical<\/li>\n<li><strong>Marginal:<\/strong>\u00a0the properties of the cuvette <em><strong>may not change<\/strong><\/em> after 24 hours of exposure to the chemical; testing is recommended before use in an experiment<\/li>\n<li><strong>Excellent:<\/strong>\u00a0the properties of the cuvette <em><strong>are not changed<\/strong><\/em> after 24 hours of exposure to the chemical<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Chemical<\/th>\n<th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">CUV (polystyrene)<\/th>\n<th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">UV-VIS (proprietary plastic)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Acetic acid (96%)<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Acetone<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Acetonitrile<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Benzene<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Methylethyl Ketone<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Carbon tetrachloride<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Chloroform<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Diethyl ether<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Dimethyl sulfoxide<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Marginal<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Ethanol<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Formaldehyde (40%)<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Heptane<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Marginal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Hexanes<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Excellent<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Hydrochloric acid (32%)<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Marginal<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Isopropanol<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Marginal<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Marginal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">n-Pentane<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Oleic acid<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Perchloric acid (10%)<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Petroleum ether<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Phenol<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Sodium hydroxide<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Excellent<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Sulfuric acid<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Trichloroacetic acid<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Trichloroethylene<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Toluene<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Poor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><small><strong>Reference: BrandTech Scientific, Inc., Perkin Elmer Life and Analytical Sciences, Cole Parmer<\/strong><\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quartz Cuvettes available from Vernier<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/quartz-cuvettes\/\">Quartz Cuvettes<\/a> (<nobr>CUV-QUARTZ<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/fluorescence-uv-quartz-cuvette\/\">Fluorescence\/UV Quartz Cuvette<\/a> (<nobr>CUV-QUARTZ-FUV<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\"><small>If purchasing cuvettes from another company (e.g., BrandTech or Starna), the cuvettes must have a 10 mm path length with a nominal volume of 3.5 mL. The width and length of the cuvette should be 10 mm (this is a standard 1 cm\u00b2 cuvette). For more information on compatibility of these cuvettes with various liquids, visit the cuvette manufacturer&#8217;s web site.<\/small><\/p>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Information<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2016\/\">What is the difference between the types of cuvettes you sell for colorimeters and spectrophotometers?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2202\/\">Are 4-sided clear cuvettes required when doing fluorescence experiments with SpectroVis Plus or Go Direct SpectroVis Plus?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>These are disposable cuvettes we sell for our colorimeters and [visible light] spectrophotometers. They are made of polystyrene, which can be damaged by many different&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11015,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[281,1450,3227,541,2163],"class_list":["post-2520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-colorimeter","tag-compatibility","tag-cuv","tag-cuvette","tag-spectrometer"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11015"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}