LKS.60 Nanosecond Laser Photolysis Spectrometer
The Laser Flash Photolysis technique provides one of the most effective methods for studying, by direct measurement, the reactions of transient species such as radicals, excited states or ions, in chemical and biological systems. The use of a laser for sample excitation gives the technique the specificity of single wavelength excitation and nanosecond time resolution. Laser flash photolysis has been used increasingly in the area of bioinorganic reaction mechanisms, for example, studies on electron transport in cytochromes or ligand binding by haem containing proteins. More exotic applications involving the Laser Flash Photolysis technique have recently included studies on the conformational changes of functional proteins that occur during the course of their activity.
Applied Photophysics has been supplying laser flash photolysis instruments since 1973. The experience gained during this period has resulted in the LKS.60 Spectrometer, which offers both ease of use and flexibility with respect to special configurations. Our long experience and large customer base are your assurances that we provide world-class expertise and technical support for your kinetics research with the LKS.60 Spectrometer.
An increasingly popular aspect of the LKS.60 Spectrometer, particularly for life science and biochemical research, is that it can be upgraded to a combined laser flash photolysis and stopped-flow system and/or flow-flash system .
Key Features
• High stability xenon light source for continuous and pulsed operation. The excellent reproducibility of the pulsed light output from the analysing source permits routine generation of time-resolved spectra.
• Optimized measurements from nanosecond to second timescales
• Large sample housing with modular optical system
• Various sample formats including cross beam excitation, co-linear excitation for cylindrical cells of various path lengths, diffuse reflectance, low temperature cryostat etc
• Upgrade path to combined laser flash photolysis / stopped-flow and/or flow-flash capability
• Logarithmic time base and digital over sampling capabilities
• Comprehensive mouse-driven software with reliable workstation for trouble free operation
• Automatic instrument operation via comprehensive instrument protocols
• Powerful single wavelength and PC ProK global analysis of data
• Modular design allows routine addition of a second monochromator or more elaborate customization.
The stopped-flow capability in this combined system is equivalent to the SX.18MV-R Stopped-Flow Reaction Analyser. The combination is both ergonomic and cost-effective because many elements of the SX.18MV-R stopped-flow and LKS.60 laser flash systems are identical (eg. Workstation, ADC card, monochromator, Xe source, power supply). Switching between the two configurations takes less than 5 minutes. The stopped-flow system is suitable for both absorbance and fluorescence detection and will also have the capability to acquire and globally analysis time-resolved absorbance spectra as this functionality is already in place for the LKS.60. To purchase a separate SX.18MV-R stopped-flow system with the same functionality would cost well over twice the cost of this upgrade.
Option FF.1 (or SX-FF.1) enables the LKS.60 to be configured to allow flow-flash measurements. The stopped-flow sample-handling unit (as used on the PiStar-180 spectrometer) is anchored to the LKS.60 sample housing to provide a multi-function instrument that can be readily configured for either laser flash photolysis, stopped-flow or flow-flash measurements. For regular laser flash photolysis measurements, the sample is a 10mm cuvette placed in the sample housing in the usual way. For stopped-flow measurements, the analysing light is diverted inside the sample housing so that it falls onto the input of a spectrosil light guide. This brings the analysing light to the stopped-flow cell. For flow-flash measurements, the instrument is configured as for stopped-flow but in this case the laser excitation is allowed to pass through the 10mm sample holder to the port at the front of the housing where a beam steering optic then directs the laser light upwards to the stopped-flow cell. Applications requiring a flow-flash capability would normally involve biological samples. In order to prevent direct photolysis of the sample by the analyzing light, an additional monochromatic would normally be located between the light source and the sample. A sequential-mixing capability on the sample-handling unit is also available as an optional extra.
As with option SX.1 (described above), option SX-FF.1 offers all of the ergonomic and economic benefits of a multi-functional stopped-flow and laser flash photolysis system. Bottom of Form
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