There is a great need for a low cost and sensitive method to measure infrared spectra of solid organic compounds in the gas phase. To record such spectra, we propose an optical parametric generator-based photoacoustic spectrometer, which emits in the mid-infrared fingerprint region between 3 and 4 microns. In this system, the sample is heated in a vessel before entering a home built photoacoustic cell, where the gaseous molecules are excited by a tunable laser source with a frequency repetition rate that matches the first longitudinal resonance frequency of the photocaoustic cell. In a first phase, we have focused on low-melting point stimulants such as Nikethamide, Mephentermine sulfate, Methylephedrine, Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine. The vapor-phase spectra of these doping substances were measured between 2800 and 3100 cm-1, where fundamental C-H stretching vibrations take place. Our spectra show notable differences with commercially available condensed phase spectra. Our scheme enables to measure very low vapor pressures of low-melting point (<160 °C) solid organic compounds. Furthermore, the optical resolution of 8 cm-1 is good enough to distinguish closely related chemical structures such as the Ephedra alkaloids Ephedrine and Methylephedrine, but doesn't allow to differentiate diastereoisomeric pairs such as Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine, two important neurotransmitters which reveal different biological activities. Therefore, higher resolution and a system capable of measuring organic compounds with higher melting points are required.
In this paper, we present first results of a spectral characterisation of doping substances using a resonant optoacoustic cell and a Nd:YAG laser pumped optical parametric generation (OPG) laser source in the mid-infrared wavelength range between 3.0 and 4.0 μm with periodically poled LiNbO3 as nonlinear medium for the frequency conversion. Single spectra covering a wavelength range of about 220 nm can be conducted within less than 2 hours (3s averaging time, 7s between consecutive data points, about 0.3nm step-width). Despite the large linewidth of the OPG source of 240 GHz
(8 cm-1), the laser spectrometer is well suited for the spectral
analysis of these large organic molecules as they exhibit structured
continuum absorption over a wide spectral range rather than isolated
absorption peaks. We present measured spectra of ephedrine,
alprenolol, ethacrynic acid, etc. and discuss the potential of
laser-based detection of doping substances both as a supplement to
existing methods and in view of a fast in situ screening technique at
sporting events.
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