The implementation of hand-held ion mobility spectrometers (IMS) requires the development and evaluation of miniature drift cells providing high sensitivity while maintaining reasonable resolution. This manuscript describes the construction of a miniature IMS designed for such an application and its characterization by evaluation of the detection limits and resolution of the system with seven explosive compounds including trinitrotoluene (TNT), cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-N-methylnitramine (Tetryl), nitroglycerin (NG), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4 DNT), and 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6 DNT).

Investigations of the atomic emission lines produced by a variety of non-metals in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral region are reported. A number of promising analytical lines for oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, bromine, sulfur, and chlorine was observed between 120 and 185 nm using both photographic and electronic detection. A unique experimental configuration employing a side-arm torch which directly couples to the vacuum spectrometer/spectrograph is described.

The nebulization of sample solution is a critical step in most atomic spectrometric methods. A novel nebulization technique, based on a glass capillary array, has been investigated. Basic operating parameters and characteristics have been studied to determine how this new nebulizer may be applied to atomic spectrometric methods. The results of preliminary comparisons with current pneumatic nebulizers as well as the porous glass frit nebulizer indicate several notable differences. The glass capillary array nebulizer has a high sample transport efficiency, and, in addition, the glass capillary array is not as limited in performance as the porous frit nebulizer in terms of sample equilibration time and the requirement for a wash cycle. The nebulizer shows great promise where sample volume is limited or where rapid response is necessary, as in chromatography or flow injection analysis.

Simple techniques are described for construction of a discharge channel, and spark gap trigger electrode for a traveling-wave excited molecular hydrogen laser.

Spatially resolved emission maps of an ICP as a function of torch design, power, and gas flow rate have been obtained for O, N, Cl, Br, and C in the vacuum ultraviolet with the use of an Abel inversion data reduction algorithm. Two coolant tube configurations were studied, one a standard strait coolant tube with a “bell”-style collar, and a second with a “T”-shaped sidearm tube. The studies show that the maximum emission intensities for Br and Cl occurred below the top of the coolant tube and that the N 149.28-nm emission cannot be observed for the bell collar configuration. The investigation of the T-tube configuration yielded useful information for all elements studied, with optimum observation heights ranging from 8 mm above the load coil for C at 165.70 nm to 20 mm above the load coil for O at 130.49 nm. In most cases, the maximum intensity is observed in the center of the discharge. Signal-to-noise studies indicate that the highest power practical with the minimum flow rate possible should be used for the analysis of the four nonmetals investigated.