Combining Infrared And Raman Spectroscopy On A Single Platform To Identify Unknown Chemical Hazards

Motivation
While a common premise to all emergency response plans is the accumulation of reliable, accurate, and timely information, no single portable device can identify all hazardous chemicals with 100% confidence. Consequently, emergency responders are constantly adopting multiple tools to detect and identify unknown hazardous chemicals. The devices available are designed for a variety of applications yet require the user to manually integrate the data into their response decision as recommended by the National Fire Protection Association, document NFPA 472, Standard for Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents.1 Although no two events are exactly alike, a response plan with systematic practices can be valuable, particularly in the context of the strict laboratory standards exercised within the scientific community. Indeed, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) advocates the use of multiple data sources to not only characterize and identify unknowns, but also to assure the validity of the results.2 For emergency responders, however, these principles are difficult to uphold since key decisions need to be made outside of the laboratory setting very quickly.