what's the best blank for Nanodrop if I wanna read DNA samples?
is it the same elution buffer of the DNA samples themself, Distilled water, or another buffer or water?
Note: I elute some of the DNA samples in TE pH 8.0 others in TE pH 9.0.
It is absolutely essential to blank the nanodrop with exactly the same solvent that the dna is dissolved in. If theDNA is in water use water and if in TE then use the same TE. If you use the wrong blank solution it is possible to get negative amounts of dna after measurement. If eluted off a purification column then blank with elution solution
Paul Rutland, I read these samples using distilled water as blank (by chance I didn't get negative results), Can I count on these readings or I must read the samples once again on the Nanodrop?
It depends a lot on how much dna is present. If the dna is very concentrated then the buffer absorbance will be small compared with the dna absorbance and the readings should be ok. For low concentration samples it will make a bigger difference. You could try blanking the nano with water and then measuring the pure solvent that the dna is dissolved in. This will tell you how much of the absorbance of the samples is caused by solvent and the concentrations of the samples can be adjusted. To check the results it would be safe to run a few samples properly blanked to check that they agree with blank adjusting
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