Faster, Simpler, and More Precise Calibration Curves: Expanding the Scope of Continuous Calibration

Accurate calibration curves are essential for quantitative analysis but are often neglected due to their time, cost, and labour demands. Traditional calibration involves measuring solutions of known concentrations to construct a calibration curve relating analyte concentration to instrument response. While these relationships rarely follow simple closed-form equations, linear approximations are commonly used for simplicity, often being fitted with too few data points for high-accuracy calibration. Continuous calibration was previously developed to address these challenges by continuously infusing a concentrated calibrant solution into a clean matrix solution while monitoring the response in real time. This approach significantly reduces time and labour while generating extensive data, improving calibration precision and accuracy. Despite its advantages, method limitations and technical complexities have hindered widespread adoption. Here, continuous calibration is expanded and simplified with modern accessible equipment, open-source code, and a user-friendly web tool which streamline data processing, generating smoothed and equation-fitted calibration curves complete with quality-of-fit and dynamic range estimates. This method was applied to a broad range of systems and analytical techniques, including external, standard addition, and internal standardization calibrations, and mass spectrometry, and infrared and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopies, with the latter yielding molar absorption coefficients from a single experiment. By reducing time and effort while enhancing precision, these advancements have the potential to improve experimental quality and efficiency across numerous fields.