Application of a Search System and Vapor-Phase Library to Spectral Identification Problems

A recent major advance in the field of gas chromatography/Fourier transform infrared spectrometry is the availability of a search system and digitized vapor phase infrared library. This paper presents the results of the application of this search system to a real-world sample. Examples are shown of correct matches and an incorrect match. Overall, the search performs very well with good quality unknown spectra, but cannot differentiate between a spectrum and background. These results indicate that visual comparison of the unknown and standard are required for all but the most routine identifications.