Through reading science-blogs like BoingBoing and Wired I got to know about Arduino, a tiny Amel AVR-Microcontroller based prototyping platform and got  an idea of how it could be possible to build  a kind of light-absorption meter for measurements in analytical chemistry without spending much money. Here I will explain the development of my idea.

The Idea.

At first I thought about a device for the measurement of visible light absorption in suspention- simplified turbidimetry. A simple photoresistor and a cuvette with a light source would do the job- the more concentrated  the suspension is, the less light comes to the photoresistor; but I did not have access to the laboratory to build the device and start the tests. A year later I was lucky to meet Sebastian Hermes, a PhD student at the university where I studied who liked the idea and told me that he could use something similar in his work. In the laboratory of the university they have a flash device for liquid chromatography which can not only separate substances, but also measure their UV-absorption and show it as diagram in function of time.  So the idea was not just to build a simple device for the measurement of the color intensity of liquids- it is necessary to separate mixtures of substances, measure the amount of ultraviolet radiation and get in real-time results. A  simple lamp and a photoresistor (considering that they change resistance only in visible light according to the data sheets) were not enough- the fascinating process of finding solutions begun.