Testing Methods Flashcards
Absorbance.
Amount of light that is absorbed or retained and therefore not able to pass through or be transmitted through a solution.
Amplicon.
A source of DNA or RNA that is the source or product of natural or artificial amplification or replication.
Beer-Lambert’s (Beer’s) Law.
In a solution, color intensity at a constant depth is directly proportional to concentration.
Chemiluminescence.
An analytical method in which the emission of light (luminescence), as the result of a chemical reaction is measured.
Chromatography.
Method of analysis in which the solutes, dissolved in a common solvent, are separated from one another by differential distribution of the solutes between two phases (a mobile phase and a stationary phase).
Colorimetry.
Technique used to determine the concentration of a substance by the variation in intensity of its color.
Coulometry.
Technique in which the charge required to completely electrolyze a sample is measured.
Electrophoresis.
Movement of charged particles in an electrical field; technique used to separate mixtures of ionic solutes by the differences in their rates of migration in an electrical field.
Flow Cytometry.
Enumeration and differentiation of blood cells by passing them through a focused beam of a laser.
Immunoassay.
Assays using antigen antibody reactions to detect the presence of a specific constituent.
Immunofluorescence.
Technique used for rapid identification of an antigen by treating it with a known antibody tagged with a fluorescent dye and observing the resulting characteristic antigen/antibody reaction; will appear luminous in ultraviolet light projected using a fluorescent microscope.
Ion-selective Electrode (ISE).
A specific type of electrode that converts the activity of a specific ion dissolved in a solution into an electrical potential, which can be measured by potentiometry (voltmeter or pH meter). An ISE can be used to measure ion concentrations in blood plasma or serum, water, food, and pharmaceuticals.
Nephelometry.
Measurement of light that has been scattered when it strikes a particle in a liquid; the nephelometer measures the amount of light scattered.
Photometry.
Technique used to determine the quantitative concentration of a substance by measuring the variation in its color intensity by use of a photometer.
Spectrophotometry.
Quantitative measuring technique in which the color of a solution of an unknown concentration is compared with the color of a similar solution of known concentration.
Standard Calibration Curve.
Plotting of percent transmission or absorbance readings on graph paper for several known standard solutions of varying concentrations will enable construction of a “standard curve” for a particular assay.
Turbidimetry.
The measurement in the loss of light intensity transmitted through a solution because of the light being scattered as a result of turbidimetry of a solution.
Western Blot.
Antigenic proteins or nucleic acids are separated by gel electrophoresis and transferred or blotted onto membrane filter paper antiserum from the patient is allowed to react with the filter paper, and by use of labeled antiantibody detectors, the specific antibody bound to its homologous antigen is detected.
