FT-IR spectroscopy is the technology of choice to identify solid and liquid phase unknown samples. Advances in
instrument portability have made possible the use of FT-IR spectroscopy in emergency response and military field
applications. The samples collected in those harsh environments are rarely pure and typically contain multiple chemical
species in water, sand, or inorganic matrices. In such critical applications, it is also desired that in addition to broad
chemical identification, the user is warned immediately if the sample contains a threat or target class material (i.e.
biological, narcotic, explosive). The next generation HazMatID 360 combines the ruggedized design and functionality
of the current HazMatID with advanced mixture analysis algorithms. The advanced FT-IR instrument allows effective
chemical assessment of samples that may contain one or more interfering materials like water or dirt. The algorithm was
the result of years of cumulative experience based on thousands of real-life spectra sent to our ReachBack spectral
analysis service by customers in the field. The HazMatID 360 combines mixture analysis with threat detection and
chemical hazard classification capabilities to provide, in record time, crucial information to the user. This paper will
provide an overview of the software and algorithm enhancements, in addition to examples of improved performance in
mixture identification.
Emerging chemical threats to homeland security challenge the specificity of sensor-based chemical detectors. As the
number of chemicals to detect increases, the false alarm rates of these sensor-based systems tend to increase and the
usefulness of the detector in real world situations declines. The infrared (IR) absorption spectrum of a material is a
physical constant and highly specific for the molecule of interest. For many years, IR spectra have been used by chemists
to identify unknowns based on comparison with spectra of known materials and to determine the presence of chemical
functional groups through spectral interpretation. IR spectroscopy is well suited for the identification of broad-based
chemical threats. This discussion shall concern the conceptual development of a hand held IR spectroscopy system for
the identification of chemical vapor threats. The discussion shall focus on design tradeoffs where miniaturization is of
paramount importance. Quantitative IR absorption spectra of threat compounds were used to model absorption line
strengths at moderate spectral resolutions. IDLH detection limits targets, acquisition time, etendué, and signal-to-noise
parameters guided the concept design and pathlength of a long path gas cell used in conjunction with a hand held FT-IR
spectrometer.
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