ASTM E387-04(2022)

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE 5.1 Stray radiant power can be a significant source of error in spectrophotometric measurements. SRP usually increases with the passage of time; therefore, testing should be performed periodically. Moreover, the SRPR test is an excellent indicator of the overall condition of a spectrophotometer. A control-chart record of the results of routinely performed SRPR tests can be a useful indicator of need for corrective action or, at least, of the changing reliability of critical measurements. 5.2 This test method provides a means of determining the stray radiant power ratio of a spectrophotometer at selected wavelengths in a spectral range, as determined by the SRP filter used, thereby revealing those wavelength regions where significant photometric errors might occur. It does not provide a means of calculating corrections to indicated absorbance (or transmittance) values. The test method must be used with care and understanding, as erroneous results can occur, especially with respect to some modern grating instruments that incorporate moderately narrow bandpass SRP-blocking filters. This test method does not provide a basis for comparing the performance of different spectrophotometers. Note 8: Kaye (3) discusses correction methods of measured transmittances (absorbances) that sometimes can be used if sufficient information on the properties and performance of the instrument can be acquired. See also A1.2.5. 5.3 This test method describes the performance of a spectrophotometer in terms of the specific test parameters used. When an analytical sample is measured, absorption by the sample of radiation outside of the nominal bandpass at the analytical wavelength can cause a photometric error, underestimating the transmittance or overestimating the absorbance, and correspondingly underestimating the SRPR. 5.4 The SRPR indicated by this test method using SRP filters is almost always an underestimation of the true value (see 1.3). A value cited in a manufacturer’s li... SCOPE 1.1 Stray radiant power (SRP) can be a significant source of error in spectrophotometric measurements, and the danger that such error exists is enhanced because its presence often is not suspected (1-4).2 This test method affords an estimate of the relative radiant power, that is, the Stray Radiant Power Ratio (SRPR), at wavelengths remote from those of the nominal bandpass transmitted through the monochromator of an absorption spectrophotometer. Test-filter materials are described that discriminate between the desired wavelengths and those that contribute most to SRP for conventional commercial spectrophotometers used in the ultraviolet, the visible, the near infrared, and the mid-infrared ranges. These procedures apply to instruments of conventional design, with usual sources, detectors, including array detectors, and optical arrangements. The vacuum ultraviolet and the far infrared present special problems that are not discussed herein. Note 1: Research (3) has shown that particular care must be exercised in testing grating spectrophotometers that use moderately narrow bandpass SRP-blocking filters. Accurate calibration of the wavelength scale is critical when testing such instruments. Refer to Practice E275. 1.2 These procedures are neither all-inclusive nor infallible. Because of the nature of readily available filter materials, with a few exceptions, the procedures are insensitive to SRP of very short wavelengths in the ultraviolet, or of lower frequencies in the infrared. Sharp cutoff longpass filters are available for testing for shorter wavelength SRP in the visible and the near infrared, and sharp cutoff shortpass filters are available for testing at longer visible wavelengths. The procedures are not necessarily valid for “spike” SRP nor for “nearby SRP.” (See Annexes for general discussion and definitions of these terms.) However, they are adequate in most cases and for typical applications. They do cover...