Ultraviolet lamp
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An ultraviolet lamp or UV lamp for short, is a type of light emitting device which is capable of giving off ultraviolet light. UV lamps are commonly used in biology and in chemistry for UV sensitive experiments.
Contents
General
UV lamps consist of an electronic device, containing a UV light emitting source, such as mercury lamp or UV LED's. Other sources include deuterium arc lamps, mercury-xenon arc lamps, metal-halide arc lamps, tungsten-halogen incandescent lamps or xenon arc lamps. An electrical switch is used to turn on/off the lamp. If the UV lamp has two discharge lamps, a separate switch can be used to alternate between the two lamps. UV lamps can be portable (hand-held) or bulky, being powered by batteries or through a plug.
Ultraviolet LED chip can be used as crude UV lamps, though they are more commonly used in photochemistry.
Availability
Ultraviolet lamps can be purchased from a variety of electronic or hardware/dollar stores. Medical supply stores will also sell UV lamps.
UV LED chip can be found online, or in some electronic stores.
DIY UV lamp
An easy UV lamp can be made by hooking up a series of UV LEDs to a power source and an electric switch. Since the UV LEDs emit UV light on a singular wavelength, that will be the wavelength of your UV lamp.
More complex UV lamps can be made by hooking up several gas-discharge lamps inside a box.[1]
Projects
- Photochemistry
- Sterilize various equipment, materials, organic products
- Destroy chemical wastes
Safety
UV lamps are harmful to eyes and long exposure to skin is hazardous. Proper protection, such as UV glasses, UV blocking clothing should be worn when working with UV lamps. Avoid having anything reflective on the UV illuminated area.
