Spectroscopic Sample Analysis in the Laboratory in the Near and Mid Infrared

The Pearl^TM is a liquid transmission accessory for IR analysis. The system is designed to make routine liquid transmission experiments effortless, facilitating in-service oil analysis, research into biofuel composition, analysis of edible oils and other viscous samples.

The Pearl^TM accessories easy operation is the result of the Oyster^TM cell that can be easily detached from the system. This makes switching samples and cleaning between experiments as easy as possible.

Despite being detachable, the Oyster^TM cell can reliably hold the sample horizontally. The design of the cell is so easy to use that it makes the analysis of samples with high viscosity, such as oils and greases which are conventionally hard to measure, simple and straightforward.

When a volatile sample must be analyzed, the Oyster^TM cell possesses an injection port via which the sample can enter the analysis chamber. The system has windows either side of the analysis chamber to allow operators to check for the presence of bubbles, which would introduce error into the results.

The Oyster^TM cell itself is also easy to clean, requiring only a suitable solvent and a tissue.

The unique design of the Pearl^TM means it has a more accurate path length, repeatable to 1 pm, in comparison to any conventional liquid transmission system. Fringing effects can also be reduced by using either a parallel or wedged Oyster^TM cell.

The pathlength^TM of the Oyster cell is variable with models available with pathlengths of 50 pm, 100 pm, 200 pm, 500 pm and 1,000 pm. The Pearl^TM can either use a CaF₂ or ZnSe window, and switching between windows is easily achieved.

Interfacing Accessories with Different Instruments

It should be simple to switch an analysis accessory between different instruments. To make this as simple as possible the Benchmark Baseplate system has been developed by Specac, which can be used as an interface between the accessory and different instruments, making switching as simple as possible.

The Benchmark Baseplate is unique to each instrument and can be easily fitted using just one screw. A baseplate is supplied with the Pearl^TM, when ordering please specify your instrument/spectrometer so a compatible baseplate is supplied.

Key Benefits

• Handles viscous materials with ease
• The easiest to use FTIR liquid sampling system available
• Wedging cell option to eliminate troublesome fringing completely
• Different pathlengths and window materials changed in seconds
• Faster, more repeatable and more accurate than traditional liquid cells

Key Applications

• In-service oil analysis
• Adulterated edible oil analysis
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis
• Highly viscous samples such as greases

This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Specac.

For more information on this source, please visit Specac.