Patent ID: 7581876

Claim:
An instrument for determining the volatile content of a sample while monitoring or controlling the sample temperature, the instrument comprising: a cavity in which a sample for which the volatile content is to be determined can be placed; a first source of electromagnetic radiation for introducing microwaves into said cavity that have frequencies substantially other than infrared frequencies; a second source of electromagnetic radiation for introducing electromagnetic radiation into said cavity at frequencies different from the microwave frequencies introduced by said first source; an analytical balance for measuring the weight of a sample while the sample is in said cavity and on said balance; and a processor in communication with said balance and each of said first and second sources for controlling the introduction of said frequencies from said first and second sources into said cavity in response to said balance until the microwaves from said first source and the frequencies from said second source dry the sample sufficiently for said processor to determine the volatile content of the sample based on the weight change of the sample on said balance.