Actually i hv seen one method, that for a drug product when dissolution was done via HPLC-UV detector the wavelength used to be set at 254 nm and the same analysis when done by UV-Visisble spectrophotometer the absorbance used to be measure at 298 nm with purified water as blank.
Why would this be....? Mind you i am talking abt Dissolution and not RS where one is more interseted in the parent peak irrespective of other peaks.
Dissolution of formulated products has to avoid any other components, so if the analysis was on a UV Spectrophotometer without chromatography, the detection wavelength may be longer, but not at the optimum. Also, some dissolution buffers may absorb at lower wavelengths.
For HPLC, the interfering comounds are separated, so a lower wavelength can be used, perhaps even the compound peak.
254 nm was the standard fixed detector wavelength because a Hg lamp was used ( Zn gave 214 nm ), so many methods used that wavelength , regardless of where the peak was. Note that the selected spectral band width can also affect results.
Bruce Hamilton