Spectrofluorimetry

Photoluminescence spectroscopy, because of the versatility and sensitivity it can offer, is finding applications in fields of great social and economical impact such as molecular electronics, food technology, environmental sciences, medical diagnostics, and cell biology. Unfortunately, luminescence measurements are often not as easy as they seem at first glance, since the electric signal produced by a spectrofluorimeter is related to the total luminescence intensity (i.e., to the number of emitted photons) through a number of instrumental factors and, in addition, can often hide subtle artifacts. A superficial approach can thus lead to major mistakes; this section has been then conceived to give the reader all the information needed for the correct handling of the instrumentation and of experimental data, even for solid samples. An example taken from the world of supramolecular chemistry is also described in order to evidence all the steps required for comparing luminescence intensities obtained in different experimental conditions. Moreover, in this section it is possible to find information about the main standards for fluorescence quantum yield determination.