Using Standards to Measure Unknowns

Calibration curves help measure how an instrument responds to an analyte and how to estimate the concentration of an unknown sample. To build one, scientists prepare standard samples at several concentrations that include the expected range of the unknown. They then record the instrument response for each standard.

Calibration curves are used to understand the instrumental response to an analyte, and to predict the concentration of analyte in a sample.

A calibration curve is created by first preparing a set of standard solutions with known concentrations of the analyte. The instrument response is measured for each, and plotted vs. concentration of th...