Thermo Scientific NanoDrop OneC User manual

NanoDrop Micro-UV/Vis Spectrophotometer
NanoDrop One
C
with
NanoDrop QC Software
User Guide
269-342200 NanoDrop QC UG Revision A December 2019

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For U.S. Technical Support, please contact:
Thermo Fisher Scientific
3411 Silverside Road
Tatnall Building, Suite 100
Wilmington, DE 19810 U.S.A.
Telephone: [phone]
Toll Free: 1 877 724 7690 (U.S. & Canada only)
E-mail: [e-mail]
For International Support, please contact:
http://www.nanodrop.com/support
Contact your local distributor. For contact
information go to:
http://www.nanodrop.com/Order.aspx
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. provides this document to its customers with a product purchase to use in the
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document is strictly prohibited, except with the written authorization of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
The contents of this document are subject to change without notice. All technical information in this
document is for reference purposes only. System configurations and specifications in this document supersede
all previous information received by the purchaser.
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free and assumes no responsibility and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, damage or loss that might
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for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment or cure of disease.
WARNING Avoid an explosion or fire hazard. This instrument or accessory is not
designed for use in an explosive atmosphere.

Thermo Scientific NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide iii
C
Chapter 1 About the Spectrophotometer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Touchscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Cuvette Holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
USB-A port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
PR-1 Pedestal Reconditioning Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
PV-1 Performance Verification Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Instrument Detection Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 2 Instrument Set up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Register Your Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Update Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Setting Up User Account Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
User Account Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Security Administration Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 3 Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Measure UV-Vis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Measure UV-Vis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
To make UV-Vis measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Best practices for UV-Vis measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
UV-Vis Reported Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Settings for UV-Vis Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Measure Chemometrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Measure Chemometrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Create Chemometrics Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Edit Chemometrics Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Chemometrics Reported Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Settings for Chemometric Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Contents

Contents
iv NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide Thermo Scientific
Measure Custom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Measure using a Custom Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Delete Custom Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Custom Method Reported Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Manage Custom Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Chapter 4 Learning Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Micro-Volume Sampling—How it Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Set Up the Instrument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Measure a Micro-Volume Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Measure a Sample Using a Cuvette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Prepare Samples and Blanks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Basic Instrument Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
NanoDrop One Home Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
NanoDrop One Measurement Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
NanoDrop One General Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Instrument Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Data Deletion Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
PC Control Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
PC Control Home Screen overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Control options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Chapter 5 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Maintenance Schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Cleaning the Touchscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Maintaining the Pedestals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Cleaning the Pedestals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Reconditioning the Pedestals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Decontaminating the Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Maintaining the Cuvette Sampling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Instrument Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Intensity Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Performance Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Pedestal Image Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Chapter 6 Safety and Operating Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Operating Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Safety Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Thermo Scientific NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide 1
1
About the Spectrophotometer
The Thermo Scientific™ NanoDrop™ OneCis a compact, stand-alone
UV-Visible spectrophotometer developed for micro-volume analysis of a wide variety of
analytes. The patented sample retention system enables the measurement of highly
concentrated samples without the need for dilutions.
The NanoDrop OneCsystem comes with preloaded software and a touchscreen display.
NanoDrop QC PC Control software can be installed on a local PC and used to control the
instrument and view data. The instrument can be connected to an optional printer with a
USB cable or to a remote printer through an Ethernet connection or wireless network.
NOTICE Locate the instrument away from air vents and exhaust fans to minimize
evaporation
NOTICE Before operating a NanoDrop One instrument, please read the safety and
operating precautions and then follow their recommendations when using the instrument.
NanoDrop OneCSpectrophotometer
Arm
Pedestal
Cuvette
holder

1About the Spectrophotometer
Features
2NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide Thermo Scientific
Features
TheNanoDrop OneCspectrophotometer features the patented micro-volume sample
retention system. The NanoDrop OneCalso features a cuvette holder for analyzing dilute
samples using standard UV-visible cuvettes.
Touchscreen
TheNanoDrop OneCcomes with a built-in, 7-inch high-resolution touchscreen preloaded
with easy-to-use instrument control software. The touchscreen can slide left or right to
accommodate personal preference, and tilt forward or back for optimal viewing

1 About the Spectrophotometer
Features
Thermo Scientific NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide 3
Cuvette Holder
The NanoDrop OneCincludes a cuvette holder for measuring dilute samples, colorimetric
assays, cell cultures and kinetic studies. The cuvette system has these features:
• extended lower detection limits
• 37 °C heater option for temperature-sensitive samples and analyses
• micro-stirring option to ensure sample homogeneity and support kinetic studies
For details, see Measure a Sample using a Cuvette.
USB-A port
Two more USB-A ports are located on instrument back panel
Instrument light path
Cuvette holder

1About the Spectrophotometer
Accessories
4NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide Thermo Scientific
Accessories
This section lists the accessories included for use with the NanoDrop OneC.
PR-1 Pedestal Reconditioning Kit
PV-1 Performance Verification Solution
Liquid photometric standard used to check instrument performance. For more information,
see Performance Verification.
Specially formulated conditioning compound that
can be applied to the pedestals to restore them to a
hydrophobic state (required to achieve adequate
surface tension for accurate sample measurements).
The kit includes conditioning compound and
applicators. For more information, see
Reconditioning the Pedestals.

1 About the Spectrophotometer
Instrument Detection Limits
Thermo Scientific NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide 5
Instrument Detection Limits
Measurement Location Pathlength (mm)
Upper Detection Limit
(10 mm Equivalent Absorbance)
Pedestal 1.0 12.5
0.2 62.5
0.1 150
0.05 300
0.03 550
Cuvette 10 1.5
53
2 7.5
115

1About the Spectrophotometer
6NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide Thermo Scientific
This page is intentionally blank.

Thermo Scientific NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide 7
2
Instrument Set up
Register Your Instrument
Register your instrument to receive e-mail updates on software and accessories for the
NanoDrop OneCinstrument. An Internet connection is required for registration.
To register your instrument
1. Do one of the following:
– From any PC that is connected to the Internet, use any web browser to navigate to
our website.
On the website, locate NanoDrop One Registration and follow the instructions to register the
instrument.
Update Software
Quickly and easily download and install the latest NanoDrop One software and release notes
from our website. Follow the steps to update or upgrade the software on your local instrument
and/or install or update the NanoDrop QC software on a personal computer (PC). An
Internet connection is required to download software.
To install or update NanoDrop QC software on a PC
1. Insert the USB flash drive containing the installer software into an available USB port on
your PC
2. Launch Start.exe. The software installer will run.
To install or update NanoDrop QC software on the instrument
1. Copy the .zip file with the new software from your computer to a USB storage device. Do
not attempt to unzip the folder.
2. Insert the USB device into any USB port on the NanoDrop OneCinstrument.
3. From the instrument Home screen, tap Settings > System > Update Software and
choose the latest version of software.

2Instrument Set up
Setting Up User Account Control
8NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide Thermo Scientific
Setting Up User Account Control
User account control is managed using the Security Administration application. When you
launch Security Administration, you will need to enter your Windows log-in information.
User Account Control
Launch the Security Administration application and select NanoDrop QC from the directory
on the left to reveal Access Control and System Policies.
Access control
Access control is used to grant or deny individual users or groups access to protected features
in the instrument application. Add and remove users and groups to the access list and set
access rights using the drop-down for each entity.
System policies
System Policies is used to set options that define the behavior of the client application. See
“Security Administration Policies.”

2 Instrument Set up
Setting Up User Account Control
Thermo Scientific NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide 9
Security Administration Policies
System policies allow you to assign data and method creation and deletion and editing
privileges for users and groups.
Launch the Security Administration application and select NanoDrop QC -> System
Policies
You can add, delete, or edit policy groups and enable or disable the group’s users permission to
delete data. When you are finished, select Save. Changes will take effect the next time
NanoDrop QC is launched. Changes made to the Security Administration policies are
applicable to the local PC only and will not affect other computers on the network.

2Instrument Set up
Technical Support
10 NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide Thermo Scientific
Technical Support
For U.S./Canada Support, please contact:
Thermo Fisher Scientific
3411 Silverside Road
Tatnall Building, Suite 100
Wilmington, DE 19810 U.S.A.
Telephone: [phone]
Toll Free: 1 877 724 7690 (U.S. & Canada only)
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Website: www.thermoscientific.com/nanodrop
For International Support, please contact:
Contact your local distributor. For contact information go to:
http://www.nanodrop.com/Order.aspx
If you are experiencing an issue with your system, refer to the troubleshooting information. If
the issue persists, contact us. If you are outside the U.S.A. and Canada, please contact your
local distributor.
If your instrument requires maintenance or repair, contact us or your local distributor.

Thermo Scientific NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide 11
3
Applications
Use the NanoDrop OneCto perform UV-Vis, Chemometrics, or your own custom
measurements.
The UV-Vis application can be set up directly from the touchscreen and allows the
instrument to function as a conventional spectrophotometer. Up to 40 wavelengths from 190
nm to 850 nm can be monitored and reported.
The Chemometrics application allows you to use your unique chemometrics method. The
method is created using the NanoDrop QC PC Control software that is installed on your PC
and then loaded into the instrument though a USB storage device. See the NanoDrop QC PC
Control software to learn about Chemometric method features that are supported.
The Custom application provides additional flexibility for the method that you use with the
instrument. See the NanoDrop QC PC Control software to learn about custom method
features that are supported.
•Measure UV-Vis 12
•Measure Chemometrics 18
•Measure Custom 29

3Applications
Measure UV-Vis
12 NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide Thermo Scientific
Measure UV-Vis
Measure UV-Vis
The UV-Vis application allows the instrument to function as a conventional
spectrophotometer. Sample absorbance is displayed on the screen from 190 nm to 850 nm.
Up to 40 wavelengths can be designated for absorbance monitoring and inclusion in the
report. Automatic pathlength adjustment and a single-point baseline correction can also be
used.
To make UV-Vis measurements
Before you begin...
Before taking pedestal measurements with the NanoDrop One instrument, lift the instrument
arm and clean the upper and lower pedestals. At a minimum, wipe the pedestals with a new
laboratory wipe. For more information, see Cleaning the Pedestals.
Measures the absorbance of any sample at
up to 40 wavelengths across the ultra-violet
(UV) and visible regions of the spectrum.
Measure UV-Vis
Reported Results
Settings
Detection Limits
NOTICE
• Do not use a squirt or spray bottle on or near the instrument as liquids will flow into
the instrument and may cause permanent damage.
• Do not use hydrofluoric acid (HF) on the pedestals. Fluoride ions will permanently
damage the quartz fiber optic cables.
To measure a sample using the UV-Vis application
1. From the Home screen, select UV-Vis.
2. Specify up to 40 wavelengths to monitor (or you can specify them later if desired) and
whether automated pathlength adjustment, analysis wavelength, and baseline correction
will be used.

3 Applications
Measure UV-Vis
Thermo Scientific NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide 13
Best practices for UV-Vis measurements
• Ensure the sample absorbance is within the instrument’s absorbance detection limits.
• Blank with the same buffer solution used to re-suspend the analyte of interest. The
blanking solution should be a similar pH and ionic strength as the analyte solution.
• Run a blanking cycle to assess the absorbance contribution of your buffer solution. If the
buffer exhibits strong absorbance at or near an analysis wavelength, you may need to
choose a different buffer or application. See Choosing and Measuring a Blank for more
information.
• For micro-volume measurements:
– Ensure pedestal surfaces are properly cleaned and conditioned.
– Ensure samples are homogeneous before taking a measurement. Avoid introducing
bubbles when mixing and pipetting.
– Follow best practices for micro-volume measurements.
– Use a 1-2 µL sample volume. See Recommended Sample Volumes for more
information.
3. Pipette 1–2 µL blanking solution onto the lower pedestal and lower the arm, or insert
the blanking cuvette into the cuvette holder.
Tip: If using a cuvette, make sure to align the cuvette light path with the instrument
light path.
4. Tap Blank and wait for the measurement to complete.
Tip: If Auto-Blank is On, the blank measurement starts automatically after you lower
the arm. (This option is not available for cuvette measurements.)
5. Lift the arm and clean both pedestals with a new laboratory wipe, or remove the
blanking cuvette.
6. Pipette 1-2 µL sample solution onto the pedestal and lower the arm, or insert the
sample cuvette into the cuvette holder.
7. Start the sample measurement:
– Pedestal: If Auto-Measure is On, lower arm; if Auto-Measure is off, lower arm and
tap Measure.
– Cuvette: Tap Measure.
When the sample measurement is completed, the spectrum and reported values are
displayed (see the next section).
8. When you are finished measuring samples, tap End Experiment.
9. Lift the arm and clean both pedestals with a new wipe, or remove the sample cuvette.

3Applications
Measure UV-Vis
14 NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide Thermo Scientific
• For cuvette measurements (NanoDrop OneCinstruments only), use compatible cuvettes
and follow best practices for cuvette measurements.
UV-Vis Reported Results
UV-Vis measurement screen
For each measured sample, this application shows the absorbance spectrum and a summary of
the results. Here is an example as it appears on the local instrument display:
Tap row to
select sample
and update
spectrum; tap
more rows to
overlay up to five
spectra. Press
and hold
sample row to
view
measurement
details.
Drag tab
down/up to see
more/less
sample data
Swipe screen left to
view table with more
measurement results
Pinch and zoom to
adjust axes;
double-tap to reset
Tap to end
experiment and
export data
UV-Vis spectrum
Menu of options;
tap to open
Sample name;
tap to edit
Absorbance at user-
defined wavelength 1
(450 nm) Absorbance at user- defined
wavelength 2 (623 nm)
Tap to edit
Tap to add
Tap to edit

3 Applications
Measure UV-Vis
Thermo Scientific NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide 15
UV-Vis reported values
The initial screen that appears after each measurement (see previous image) shows a summary
of the reported values. To view all reported values, press and hold the sample row. Here is an
example:
Note Micro-volume absorbance measurements and measurements taken with
nonstandard cuvettes are normalized to a 10.0 mm pathlength equivalent.
Note Scroll up to display absorbance values for any additional user-defined wavelengths.
Sample name;
tap to edit
Sampling
method
Application
Date/time
measured
Automated
pathlength
setting
Baseline
correction
absorbance
Absorbance at
450 nm
Baseline correction
wavelength
Absorbance at
623 nm
Absorbance
at 635 nm
User-defined
wavelengths

3Applications
Measure UV-Vis
16 NanoDrop OneCwith NanoDropQC Software User Guide Thermo Scientific
Below is an example of the measurement screen with reported values as it appears in the
NanoDrop QC PC software:
With sample selected, click and drag an area to zoom
Right-click and select Autoscale to fit spectra to window
Measuresample
solution
Select to toggle
Auto-Measure ON/OFF
Sample name;
select to edit Run blank
Back to Home screen
(ends experiment)
Tips:
Click sample row to select sample and update spectrum
Shift-click multiple sample rows to overlay up to five spectra
Click a sample and hover locations on spectra to view measurement values
Sample rows
Tips: Auto-Measure
default is ON
Auto-Blank default
is OFF
End experiment
and export data
Select to add
absorbance at user-
defined wavelengths