ABSTRACT
The search for trace organic substances in complex organic and inorganic matrices is one of the most challenging tasks facing analytical chemists. This chapter investigates the feasibility of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) as a viable field technology for trace organic detection and monitoring. The operation of an IMS is analogous to the operation of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS), the main difference; however, being that the TOF-MS operates under vacuum whereas the IMS operates at atmospheric pressure. Although IMS has received considerable attention as a laboratory technique, it has not achieved, in our opinion, its full potential as a dedicated instrument intended for field use. The interest generated by the laboratory's research work has instigated a number of industrial efforts aimed at the development of compact, rugged IMS chemical sensors specifically designed for field use.
