Back when Happy Meals were the latest thing...
Yes, I grew up in the 80’s. It was an interesting time, which saw the rise of the personal computer, ubiquitous wood panelling, the great video game market crash of 1983, and of course, mullets. Back then, scientists were ecstatic about a great advancement in UV-Vis spectroscopy that allowed them to capture a complete spectrum in a single measurement. This instrument was known as the Hewlett-Packard (HP) 8450A, and this “little spectrophotometer that could” revolutionized the field with its diode array technology. Photodiode arrays allowed for rapid, simultaneous measurement of the entire UV-Vis spectrum, significantly speeding up analysis times and improving data quality. It also allowed for sophisticated measurements, such as multi-component analysis, as each wavelength was being measured reproducibly and at the exact same time.
Subtle improvements and revisions of this technology over decades saw multiple instruments of this ilk: notably the HP 8542 and HP 8453. In 1999, when Agilent Technologies was founded as a spin-off from HP’s scientific test and measurement division, the last iteration of this instrument line was produced—the Cary 8454, adding the Cary brand name to unify Agilent’s UV-Vis product line under one banner.
Wait, when did the Cary name come into this story?
Brilliant question! While the 8453 was an ideal spectrophotometer with near instant results, the Cary line of UV-Vis instruments—developed by Varian at the time—wasn’t resting on its laurels. In 1997, Varian released the Cary 50 UV-Vis, a scanning monochromator with excellent spectroscopic performance. This instrument quickly became popular in fields where accuracy and photodynamic range (i.e., the smallest amount of light detectable) were useful.
Shortly afterward, Varian introduced the Cary 100 and Cary 300 UV-Vis spectrophotometers to the market. These instruments further improved upon the dual-beam optics of the Cary 50, offering full-fledged double-beam optics and enhanced wavelength accuracy, making them ideal for more demanding applications in research and academia.
When Agilent acquired Varian in 2009, both of these outstanding UV-Vis technologies finally came under one roof, which is how the 8454 received its Cary branding.
Cary 8454 + Cary 100 = Cary 3500?
Despite the funny mathematics above, this actually does make sense. Why should scientists have to choose between rapid spectral acquisition and top performance? Why not offer both? Nothing drives an instrument market better than consumer demand, and thus in 2018 the Cary 3500 UV-Vis was released. Featuring an optical encoder-driven double monochromator (shrunken down from its High-End Cary cousins), the Cary 3500 UV-Vis doesn’t need to choose between speed and power, offering incredible amounts of both.
It's certainly difficult to imagine a scanning monochromator-based UV-Vis taking a full spectrum on 7 different samples (with 1 reference) all at the same time, in less than half a second at its maximum speed, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Alongside a tool-free, modular, throughput-focused design, the Cary 3500 easily makes a case as a truly significant leap forward in UV-Vis technology. If you read this far, you might even be interested in some additional information and promotions available here and here to ease the pain in upgrade from older UV-Vis systems to the Cary 3500 UV-Vis. It's definitely worth a look!
Special thanks to Mathieu Rault and Ursula Tems for their contributions to this post!
Further reading
- Brochure: Cary 3500 UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
- Application note: Kinetics of an Oscillating Reaction using Temperature-Controlled UV-Vis Spectroscopy
- Application note: Characterization of Antibody-Drug Conjugate CQAs Using the Agilent Cary 3500 UV-Vis
- Application note: Characterization of Protein Thermal Stability Using UV-Vis Spectroscopy
- Application note: Benefits of a Unique Multichannel Sipper Flow-Cell Pump for UV-Vis Measurements
- Application note: Pharmaceutical Analysis Using UV-Vis: Compliance with USP <857> and Ph. Eur. 2.2.25
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