Infrared Microsampling by Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform Spectrometry

Abstract

It is shown that diffuse reflectance techniques enable increased sensitivity to be obtained for infrared microsampling compared with the use of KBr micropellets. When nonabsorbing matrices, such as KCl, are used, detection limits of less than 10 ng of samples are observed. Samples absorbed on graphitized substrates, which have a fairly strong general absorption but few intense absorption bands, may also be studied but at somewhat reduced sensitivity. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectrometry does not appear to be particularly useful for studying adsorbates on silica gel, which is not only a strong infrared absorber but also has a surface which is so active that small changes in the surface structure can change the spectrum significantly. Extraction of sample spots from thin layer chromatography plates followed by deposition onto KCl yields much better results than in situ measurements.