Hansatech

Oxygen Measurements

Hansatech Instruments Ltd Oxygen Electrode Measurement Systems are based around the S1 Clark type oxygen electrode disc. The oxygen electrode systems featured on this website are configured to allow studies within a wide range of applications in cellular respiration and photosynthesis research. The systems are divided into 2 categories.

Liquid-phase Oxygen Electrode Systems

For the measurement of oxygen evolution or uptake from chloroplasts and other suspended plant photosynthetic materials (micro-algae etc.) and oxygen consumption by various components including plant roots or various plant or animal cell suspensions including mitochondria respiration studies. These may be effectively monitored using different combinations of modular items that together form compact, user-friendly systems for research applications or teaching.

Gas-phase Oxygen Electrode Systems

For the measurement of oxygen evolution or uptake within a sealed sample chamber. The sample chamber is designed to accommodate 10cm2 leaf discs which are cut using a special leaf disc cutter. However, any sample type such as root sections, lichens, mosses, conifer needles or small seeds may be used.

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Chlorophyll Fluorescence

The capacity of a plant to carry out photochemistry is limited and will depend upon a range of factors including stresses caused by environmental conditions. Absorbed light energy in excess of that used for photochemistry must be effectively dissipated by non-photochemical processes. Such processes include the emission of heat and re-emission of small but diagnostically significant amounts of the absorbed radiation as longer wavelength red/far-red light energy. This re-emission of light is termed chlorophyll fluorescence.

Although chlorophyll fluorescence emission from whole leaf systems is too weak to be viewed with the naked eye, it can be observed from illuminated extracts of a chlorophyll solution. Peak chlorophyll fluorescence occurs in the red region of the spectrum (685 nm) and extends into the infra-red region to around 800 nm.

Each of these processes operate in direct competition for a finite pool of absorbed energy, any change in energy utilisation by one process produces a complementary change in the others. This fact enables chlorophyll fluorescence to be used as a rapid and reliable non-invasive probe of photochemistry.

Specialist equipment is required for the analysis of the chlorophyll fluorescence signature. A Chlorophyll Fluorimeter (or fluorometer) is designed specifically to detect the chlorophyll fluorescence emission from a sample. There are several different types of chlorophyll fluorimeter available.

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