UV-Vis

Science & Engineering abbreviation · Chemistry

UV-Vis
Stands forUltraviolet-visible spectroscopy
CategoriesScience & Engineering

UV-Vis stands for Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, a chemistry abbreviation.

Measurement of how much ultraviolet and visible light, roughly 190 to 800 nanometers, a solution absorbs. Under the Beer-Lambert law, absorbance is proportional to concentration, so UV-Vis is the everyday method for measuring DNA and protein concentrations, following reaction rates and testing dyes, drugs and water quality.

Example: Protein concentration was read by UV-Vis at 280 nm and calculated with the Beer-Lambert law.

Usage notes

Also written UV/Vis or UV-VIS. Samples are usually held in quartz cuvettes with a 1 cm path length, since ordinary glass and many plastics absorb ultraviolet light. Absorption bands come from electronic transitions, which is why conjugated molecules and colored compounds absorb strongly. Microvolume instruments can read a single drop.

More chemistry abbreviations

  • AAS – Atomic absorption spectroscopy
  • ABS – Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
  • Ac – Acetyl group
  • aq – Aqueous
  • BPA – Bisphenol A
  • CAS – Chemical Abstracts Service
  • CFC – Chlorofluorocarbon
  • CH4 – Methane
  • CO – Carbon monoxide
  • CO2 – Carbon dioxide
  • conc. – Concentrated
  • DCM – Dichloromethane

See all 106 chemistry abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.