Abstract
Monitoring of solvent vapors can be performed by a variety of methods. Recent studies by this research group have shown that Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) can be a useful method for monitoring mixtures of vapors in air. The use of FTIR for the quantitation of individual components in a simulated 12-component paint solvent mixture is demonstrated, and optimal conditions for instrument use are detailed. The limit of detection (LOD) for each component is well below the threshold limit value (TLV®, although there is a significant degradation of LOD in the mixture when compared to the values obtained for individual compounds. Accurate quantitation is obtained through the use of a least squares fit program.