Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) is a time of flight analytical technique that is suited to detect chemicals in the low parts per billion range. Some of the advantages of IMS are: operation at atmospheric pressure, fast response time (0.1-10 sec), and the ability to characterize individual chemical species in complex matrices without any prior sample preparation. In this paper, the utility of IMS in providing a rapid, qualitative analytical technique for trace organics is reported for a number of application areas: narcotic traces on the hands of overdose victims, drug residues in body fluids, identification of wood species, detection of early decay in wood. The advantages and limitations of the use of IMS as a chemical sensor are discussed, and the application of mathematical models and algorithms to extract useful information from IMS signals are also be described.

Download document (182 kb)
free for the members of IRG. Available if purchased.

Purchase this document