Fluorometry is another spectrophotometric technique based on the absorption of light by molecules. In this case, however, the molecules lose some of the absorbed energy by irradiating light of a longer wavelength. This property is known as fluorescence and can be the basis for sensitive quantitative assays.⁰²

There are several dyes that show significant fluorescence enhancement when bound to double-stranded DNA, providing a quantitative assay for the DNA. PicoGreen^® is one of the more common fluorescent dyes that can be used in this way. The fluorescence is easily measured using a fluorometer.⁰³

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