Infrared emission detection
First Claim
1. A method for detecting and making quantitative measurements of at least one selected component in a sample, in which at least one selected component of the sample, or at least one selected substance present in the sample and characteristic of the at least one selected component, is introduced into an exciting means, and when the at least one selected component is present in the sample, gas-phase, infrared-active molecules emit infrared radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength in proportion to the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample, comprising the steps of:
- a. exciting the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules with a flame to emit radiation, wherein when the at least one selected component is present in the sample, the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules emit radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength with an intensity proportional to the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample, and wherein fluctuating background radiation is simultaneously emitted at the at least one characteristic wavelength of the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules and at other wavelengths,b. splitting the emitted radiation into first and second beams;
c. first detecting radiation in the first beam at the at least one characteristic wavelength, and generating a first electrical signal representative of the emitted radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength, and secondly detecting radiation in the second beam having the emitted background radiation and generating a second electrical signal representative of the simultaneously emitted background radiation; and
d. combining the first and second electrical signals to cancel fluctuations in intensity at the at least one characteristic wavelength caused by fluctuations in the background radiation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and method for qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing infrared emission from excited molecules in samples of interest is disclosed. Over the wavelength interval from 1 to 5 um, two strong emission bands are observed with a PbSe detector when organic compounds are introduced into an hydrogen/air flame. The band at 4.3 um (2326 cm-1 is due to the asymmetric stretch of carbon dioxide while the band at 2.7 um is due to both water and carbon dioxide emission. The carbon dioxide emission at 4.3 um is most intense at the tip of the flame, and increases with the amount of organic compound introduced into the flame. For chromatographic application, an optical filter can be used to isolate the 4.3 um emission band. The infrared emission detection system finds application in the determination of total inorganic carbon, chloride and available chlorine in aqueous samples. The detector is optimized by use of a dual beam system with background subtraction capabilities thereby eliminating background noise and the fluctuations therein.
59 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method for detecting and making quantitative measurements of at least one selected component in a sample, in which at least one selected component of the sample, or at least one selected substance present in the sample and characteristic of the at least one selected component, is introduced into an exciting means, and when the at least one selected component is present in the sample, gas-phase, infrared-active molecules emit infrared radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength in proportion to the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample, comprising the steps of:
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a. exciting the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules with a flame to emit radiation, wherein when the at least one selected component is present in the sample, the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules emit radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength with an intensity proportional to the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample, and wherein fluctuating background radiation is simultaneously emitted at the at least one characteristic wavelength of the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules and at other wavelengths, b. splitting the emitted radiation into first and second beams; c. first detecting radiation in the first beam at the at least one characteristic wavelength, and generating a first electrical signal representative of the emitted radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength, and secondly detecting radiation in the second beam having the emitted background radiation and generating a second electrical signal representative of the simultaneously emitted background radiation; and d. combining the first and second electrical signals to cancel fluctuations in intensity at the at least one characteristic wavelength caused by fluctuations in the background radiation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for detecting and making quantitative measurements of at least one selected component in a sample, in which at least one selected component of the sample, or at least one selected substance produced from the at least one selected component in the sample and characteristic of the at least one selected component, is introduced into an exciting means, and when the at least one selected component is present in the sample, gas-phase infrared-active molecules emit infrared radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength in proportion to the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample, comprising the steps of:
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a. exciting the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules with a flame to emit radiation, wherein when the at least one selected component is present in the sample, the gas-phase infrared-active molecules emit radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength with an intensity proportional to the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample; and b. selectively detecting infrared radiation emitted at the at least one characteristic wavelength and generating an output signal representative thereof, and thereby determining the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. Apparatus for detecting and making quantitative measurements of at least one selected component in a sample, in which at least one selected component of the sample, or at least one selected substance produced from the at least one selected component in the sample and characteristic of the at least one selected component, is introduced into an exciting means, and when the at least one selected component is present in the sample, gas-phase, infrared-active molecules emit infrared radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength in proportion to the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample, comprising:
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a. flame means for exciting the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules with a flame to emit radiation along a first path, wherein when the at least one selected component is present in the sample, the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules emit radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength with an intensity proportional to the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample, and wherein the exciting means simultaneously emits fluctuating background radiation along said first path at the at least one characteristic wavelength of the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules and at other wavelengths, b. beam splitting means disposed on said first path for directing a portion of the emitted radiation over a second path; c. first and second infrared detector means located on said first and second paths respectively, wherein said first detector means generates a first electrical signal responsive to emitted radiation at the at least one characteristic wavelength, and said second detector means generates a second electrical signal responsive to the simultaneously emitted background radiation; d. first wavelength discriminating means located on said first path between said beam splitting means and said first detector means, and second wavelength discriminating means located on said second path between said beam splitting means and said second detector means, wherein said first wavelength discriminating means allows passage of radiation at the at least one characteristic wavelength and inhibits the passage of other wavelengths, and said second wavelength discriminating means allows passage of the emitted background radiation and inhibits the passage of radiation at the at least one characteristic wavelength; and e. means connected to said first and second detector means for combining the first and second electrical signals to thereby cause a cancellation of fluctuations in intensity at the at least one characteristic wavelength caused by fluctuations in the background radiation. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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25. Apparatus for detecting and making quantitative measurements of at least one selected component in a sample, in which at least one selected component of the sample, or at least one selected substance produced from the at least one selected component in the sample and characteristic of the at least one selected component, is introduced into an exciting means, and when the at least one selected component is present in the sample, gas-phase infrared-active molecules emit infrared radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength in proportion to the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample, comprising:
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a. flame means for exciting the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules with a flame to emit radiation over a first path, wherein when the at least one selected component is present in the sample, the gas-phase, infrared-active molecules emit radiation at at least one characteristic wavelength with an intensity proportional to the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample; and b. infrared discriminating and detector means located on said given path for detecting infrared radiation at the at least one characteristic wavelength and for generating an output signal representative thereof, and thereby determining the quantity of the at least one selected component in the sample. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification