ABSTRACT
Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has been utilized for chemical measurements in several industrial and environmental applications in which the understanding of IMS behavior may be regarded as reasonably complete. However, these applications are generally limited in scope or acceptance and do not involve large numbers of analyzers, unlike the military and security applications of IMS in which tens of thousands of instruments are in use. The discussion of these uses, which are called developed applications here, serves to highlight the value and possibilities of IMS technology. Nonetheless, the impact of IMS on measurement science or technology in any of these developed applications is, as yet, limited. There are several reasons for this, including resistance to new technology, satisfaction with existing and competing methods, and the limited availability of instruments or software for mobility spectrometers.
