The mini-rapid-scan-spectrophotometer (Mini-RSS) is a scanning single-beam spectrophotometer that has been patented. It is based on a minimum of reflections and involves exclusively mirrors as beam-deflecting components. This way stray light is minimized, which results in an excellent light-throughput, high dynamics, low cost, compactness and rigidity. The Mini-RSS has been designed as a multi-purpose instrument that allows absorption, transmission, reflection, fluorescence and luminescence measurements in a single-beam mode. Its spectral range extends from the UV and visible spectrum to the IR. This provides for the possibility to measure even optically unfavorable, highly turbid or scattering samples that would be otherwise inaccessible to investigations with commercial spectrophotometers. A miniaturized and very sensitive photomultiplier-module (PM) of high dynamics allows in the visible spectral range absorbance measurements that cover up to four OD units. The Mini-RSS is capable of scanning up to 100 spectra per second with a resolution of 12 bit and 500 points. The linear dispersion is currently 5 nm and the stray light level <0.01%.