Page:NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods - 3800.pdf/43

E2B. Analyses of Synthetic Sample Spectra with an Interfering Compound

Every compound-specific quantitative analytical technique, including FTIR spectrometry, can fail to provide accurate results when interfering compounds appear in a sample. However, the results of a mathematical FTIR spectral analysis designed for a particular set of compounds provides clues to its failure in the presence of interferants. An experienced analyst can often adjust the analysis to accommodate the interferants and provide accurate results.

To illustrate this important aspect of FTIR spectrometry, a synthetic interference was introduced to the spectra described in Table E3. Scaled versions of a reference spectrum (hfpav06.spc, 256.6 ppm-m) of the compound hexafluoropropylene (HFP), representing the compound at two concentrations (5.00 and 10.0 ppm), were added to the original synthetic spectra. The resulting final synthetic sample spectra are described in Table E5 below. The least squares analysis described above for TFE and DFE only, when applied to these spectra containing spectral features of HFP, gives the results shown in Table E6 below.