Two UV–visible spectrophotometers are identical except for their fixed cuvette path lengths: Instrument X uses a 1.00 cm cell, whereas Instrument Y uses a 5.00 cm cell. For analyses of extremely dilute solutions, which statement best compares the instruments’ sensitivities?
a) Instrument X is more sensitive because the shorter path minimizes stray-light errors at low absorbance.
b) Instrument Y is less sensitive because the longer path causes the detector to become saturated even at low concentrations.
c) Instrument Y is more sensitive because the longer light path produces a larger absorbance for the same solution.
d) Both instruments have equivalent sensitivity because path length does not affect absorbance.