Spectroscopy - May 2008 - (Page 33)

MAY 2008 SPECTROSCOPY GLOBAL EDITION 33 on a uniquely defined substrate conforming to the ISAS SP76 standard. Both components are interfaced via fiber-optic coupling. The company also introduced the RFP-460, a multipass Raman sampling probe. The RFP-400 is a multipass fiber optics sampling probe capable of providing up to 10 enhancement of the Raman signal. The company, under its Symbion brand, also introduced version 2.0 of its SymbionLX instrument software. Today, accessories are designed for ease of use and problem solving. An original technique used in infrared spectroscopy that was more of an art than a science was the making of compressed halide (KBr) pellets. A new KBr press from Pike, called the CrushIR, is intended to help automate and simplify what was once a very hit-or-miss process. It provides excellent reproducibility of pellet preparation, aided by the digital pressure reading and adjustable maximum pressure setting. The GladiATR is a new high-energy throughput diamond ATR accessory, also from Pike. The diamond forms a monolithic structure that is scratch and fracture resistant, and the sampling surface accepts hard objects, such as coated wires, rigid polymer pellets, and geological samples, without damage. In addition to the accessory optical design, there is a built-in imaging system for optimized sample positioning, with the output available on a large liquid crystal display. Harrick has a tradition of reflectancebased accessories, and has expanded its product line to include fiber-optic interfacing to diffuse and specular reflectance with the Omni-Diff (diffuse reflectance) and the Omni-Spec specular reflectance. Both accessories are coupled via 1.5-m fibers to the FiberMate 2 interface. Based on the appropriate selection of fiber, the accessories can handle any wavelength region from the UV to the mid-IR. Harrick has also introduced a grazing angle ATR (VariGATR) for high sensitivity measurements on monolayers on silicon and metal substrates. The accessory accommodates samples up to 200 mm in diameter and has a built-in pressure application for ensuring optimal sample contact. A new company, Middleton Research (Middleton, Wisconsin), formed by two “veterans” of spectroscopy engineering, Scott Little and Gabor Kemeny, is providing standards (NIST traceable) for spectral measurements, and some new and novel accessories, such as the IsolatIR. The IsolatIR is a “spectroscopy” glovebox that provides an inert or conditioned environment for samples while they are being measured. A standard accessory is placed into the glovebox, and this in turn is interfaced to the sample compartment of most FT-IR instruments. Middleton also provides hyperspectral chemical imaging integration and applications, and is the US-based distributor for SPECIM, Spectral Imag-

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Spectroscopy - May 2008 Contents A Pragmatic Approach to Managing Interferences in ICP-MS Pittcon 2008: Back to New Orleans and Coffee and Beignets for Breakfast News Market Profile Calendar

Spectroscopy - May 2008

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