ABSTRACT
Although spectral reconstruction in the near-infrared (NIR) has usually meant the statistical estimation of the shape of the in vivo spectrum of a component of a mixture, we use the term in a broader sense to collect here a set of tools that enhance the qualitative understanding of spectra and calibrations. These methods require that “full spectra” be available, in other words, enough closely spaced wavelengths are measured so that a spectrum looks like a continuous curve. The methods should work in any spectral region, but usually require that the measured spectrum be linearly related to the concentrations of the sample components.
