Micro-Volume Purity Assessment Of Nucleic Acids Using A260/A280 Ratio And Spectral Scanning

By Peter Brescia, Applications Scientist, Applications Dept, BioTek Instruments, Inc.

A common method to determine the purity of biomolecules from sample isolates is by use of a spectrophotometric ratio using absorbance measurements at wavelengths of 260 nm and 280 nm. The A260/A280 ratio provides a rapid indication of protein contamination in nucleic acid isolates and less commonly, nucleic acid contamination in protein isolates. In addition, UV-Vis scanning can identify contamination from chemical additives used in the isolation procedure. Here we assess this capability in micro-volume analysis using the Take3™ microplate accessory.