A2 Technologies' has announced the availability of two new diffuse reflectance mid-infrared spectral libraries of rocks and minerals further extending the utility of their innovative Exoscan and FlexScan handheld FTIR analyzers for geoscience applications. The first library contains spectra of general rocks and minerals sourced from around the world, while the other is focused on commercially important or strategic minerals.

FlexScan and Exoscan are the world's first FTIR analyzers that have the performance and robustness to be applicable to field based geoscience investigations.  The analyzers are equipped with diffuse reflectance sampling interfaces, thus enabling rocks, minerals and soils to be analyzed with minimal, or no sample preparation.  Now, minerals of interest located in outcroppings, ore bodies, drill cores, and mines can be analyzed directly at the locale.  The capability of FTIR to elucidate how atoms are bound together to form the chemistry of rocks and minerals is an important complement to widely used hand-held XRF analyzers, which identify the elements that comprise the geological sample.
 
The diffuse reflectance infrared spectra of rocks and minerals are different than those that are contained in classical transmission IR libraries that already exist.  For this reason, A2 Technologies is building, and will continue to build, these unique diffuse reflectance libraries in support of its efforts to bring FTIR analyzers to geoscience applications.  Since the chemistry of rocks and minerals is complex and highly dependent on the specific locale and condition of formation, A2 Technologies analyzers permit users to easily create their own diffuse reflectance IR libraries to meet the requirements of their particular area of interest

Mr. Graham Miller, President of A2 Technologies comments:  "The capability to use FTIR spectroscopy directly at important field sites has created strong interest in the geoscience community.  The advantages of bringing  the analyzer to the sample location are significant.  The investigator can identify and focus their efforts on important areas of the site, enabling them to make decisions about the locale in real time.  The addition of the Rocks and Minerals Diffuse Reflectance libraries further enhances the capability and value of the Exoscan and FlexScan systems to geoscientists."

For more information on using handheld FTIR for Geoscience applications please contact A2 Technologies on +1-203-312-1100 (Headquarters) / +44-7765-970-210 (Europe / Asia) or visit www.a2technologies.net.

An application note entitled " A New Capability for At Site Measurements of Rock and Minerals - Diffuse Reflectance Geolibrary" is also available to download by clicking here