Rapid scan flash spectrophotometer with a flying-spot light source and magnetic storage

The Warsaw flash spectrophotometer, intended for measuring and recording a long series of spectra of a sample irradiated by a single flash is described. A flying spot is used as a light source in an electronically controlled monochromator. The highest scanning speed achieved with this method is 80 microsec per scan with 100-microsec repetition period (10,000 scans per second). The spectral range covered is 15,000-33,000 cm(-1). A series of up to 200 spectra can be recorded within 20 msec and stored in a magnetic memory unit. Retrieval, reading, and evaluation of stored information, as well as the whole measurement, is highly automated. The spectrophotometer is intended for investigations of spectra and reaction kinetics of unstable photochemical intermediates and triplet states.