Limit of Detection (LOD)
lowest concentration of analyte that can be detected
Limit of Detection (LOD) refers to the lowest amount of a substance or analyte that can be detected by an analytical method. It is a critical parameter in quantitative analysis, especially in fields such as environmental monitoring, clinical testing, and food safety analysis.
LOD is defined as the concentration of the analyte that produces a signal or response that can differentiate it from the background noise or blank signal. In other words, it is the lowest analyte concentration that can be reliably distinguished from zero.
There are many factors that can affect the LOD of an analytical method, including the quality and sensitivity of the instrument, the purity of the sample, the complexity of the matrix, and the method of sample preparation and analysis.
To determine the LOD of an analytical method, a known amount of the analyte at a very low concentration is added to the sample, and the instrument’s response is measured. This response is then compared to the response from a blank sample that contains no analyte. The LOD is then calculated as the concentration of the added analyte that produces a signal that is three times the standard deviation of the blank signal.
In summary, LOD is a critical parameter that determines the sensitivity of an analytical method and ensures that the method can be used to quantify very low concentrations of analytes with reliable accuracy.
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