fluorescence detector

A fluorescence detector is an instrument used in chemical analysis to measure luminescence. Luminescence occurs when a molecule absorbs electromagnetic radiation and then emits light as its excited electrons return to a lower energy state. This emitted light, termed luminescence, has an energy equal to or less than the absorbed radiation.1

There are two primary mechanisms for luminescence: fluorescence and phosphorescence. Fluorescence happens immediately after absorption and ceases when the exciting radiation is removed. Phosphorescence involves a slight delay in emission, meaning the luminescence continues for a short period after the excitation stops. Fluorescence detectors, also known as fluorometers, are designed to measure this emitted light. They are typically used in liquid chromatography to detect substances that absorb light at one wavelength and re-emit it at another. The intensity of the luminesced radiation is directly proportional to the concentration of the emitting species at dilute concentrations.12