Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Compliance Monitoring Using Near-Infrared (IR), Fourier Transform (FT) Raman Spectroscopy

Conventional methods for detecting traces of chemical warfare agents require: (a) collection of air, soil, or water samples, (b) analytical laboratory operations, such as chemical separation, to isolate suspected agents, and (c) laboratory analysis. Typically, this process may take days or weeks. Such long time lags and the inherent cost of labor intensive laboratory analysis are serious obstacles to effective compliance monitoring under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Therefore, more cost effective and faster (ideally near real-time) detection and analysis methods are critically needed. This project will demonstrate the feasibility of onsite analysis using near-Infrared (IR), Fourier Transform (FT) Raman Spectroscopy. Phase I objectives are to demonstrate that (a) the technology satisfies a compelling need under the CWC, (b) the technology is capable of detecting the full range of CWC chemical compounds, (c) automated routines are capable of deconvoluting the spectrum for complex chemical compounds into its constituents without the assistance of highly trained spectroscopist, and (d) the technology can reliably operate in the field environment. Phase I will demonstrate, using model chemical systems relevant to CWC, the ability of the near-IR, FT-Raman system to analyze multicomponent chemical compounds under a realistic CWC compliance scenario. Onsite, in-situ analysis using near-IR, Fourier Transform Raman Spectroscopy provides an innovative CWC verification tool capable of detecting the large numbers of chemical compounds of interest under the CWC. This technique is capable of obtaining data on materials, in solution, and incorporates an innovative method for deconvoluting the information into data on the chemical constituents onsite. The unique aspect of field sampling is the ability to analyze chemical compounds without physical sampling and chemical analysis at distant laboratories. This technology is potentially related to any environmental sampling problem.