Patent ID: 7193708

Claim:
A time efficient method of analyzing sample systems with spectroscopic electromagnetic radiation comprising wavelengths which are not absorbed by oxygen and/or water vapor and wavelengths which are absorbed by oxygen and/or water vapor, comprising the steps of: in any functional order practicing steps a, a′ and a″: a) providing a chamber which encloses a substantially enclosed space which contains oxygen and/or water vapor, to which chamber is functionally affixed a means for evacuating and/or purging said substantially enclosed space of oxygen and/or water vapor, and means for entering a beam of electromagnetic radiation thereinto, and a means for exiting electromagnetic radiation therefrom; and a′) providing a source of a spectroscopic beam electromagnetic radiation comprising wavelengths which are not absorbed by oxygen and/or water vapor and wavelengths which are absorbed by oxygen and/or water vapor; and a″) providing detector means of electromagnetic radiation; and then proceeding to practice steps b and c and d: b) positioning a sample system in said substantially enclosed space; c) while causing said means for evacuating and/or purging said substantially enclosed space of oxygen and/or water vapor to evacuate or purge said substantially enclosed space of oxygen and/or water vapor, causing said source of a spectroscopic beam electromagnetic radiation to first comprise wavelengths which are not absorbed by oxygen and/or water vapor and causing said beam to enter said means for entering a beam of electromagnetic radiation along a locus, such-that said beam interacts with said sample system and exits said means for exiting electromagnetic radiation and enters said detector means of electromagnetic radiation; and d) sequentially later after evacuation and/or purging is substantially complete, causing said source of a spectroscopic beam electromagnetic radiation to comprise wavelengths which are absorbed by oxygen and/or water vapor and causing said beam to enter said means for entering a beam of electromagnetic radiation along a locus, such that it interacts with said sample system and exits said means for exiting electromagnetic radiation and enters said detector means of electromagnetic radiation; such that during the evacuation or purging process, while oxygen and/or water vapor is still present in said substantially enclosed space in sufficient quantity to absorb said wavelengths which are absorbed by said oxygen and/or water vapor, data is provided by said detector means for wavelengths which are not absorbed by oxygen and/or water vapor, and such that once said substantially enclosed space is sufficiently evacuated or purged of oxygen and/or water vapor, data is provided by said detector means for wavelengths which are absorbed by oxygen and/or water vapor.