Stopped-Flow Device Improves Time-Resolved FTIR

Chemists have relied on time-resolved Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to investigate chemical reactions for years. Most of those reactions, however, were initiated externally by a laser or followed at a single wavelength. Although it is possible to collect time-resolved data at individual wavelengths, spectral resolution is usually limited because of time constraints.

To solve the problem, Brian C. Dunn and Edward M. Eyring of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City have developed a rapid-mixing stopped-flow device that attaches to a spectrometer. The device allows the collection of complete mid-IR spectra with time resolution of 50 ms. It can also collect time-resolved data on a UV-visible spectrophotometer that has a photodiode array detector. Details of their research appear in a recent issue of Applied Spectroscopy.