Abstract: In a contact-type vapor and particle sampling apparatus for collecting vapor or particles from a moving subject, a wand having a plurality of sampling holes is oriented so that the holes extend in the direction of movement of the subject. The external width of the wand is less than a characteristic dimension of the contour of the surface of the subject being sampled, and a central fluid flow passage in the wand is sufficiently wide to prevent substantially all particles of on the order of about 10 microns in diameter from colliding with the wall of the wand as they enter the passage. A collector for use with the apparatus includes a gas impermeable material having a high binding affinity for explosives vapor exposed on a surface of a filter woven to trap explosives particles.

Abstract: A highly selective, sensitive, fast detection system and method are disclosed for detecting vapors of specific compounds in air. Vapors emanating from compounds such as explosives, or stripped from surfaces using heat and suction from a hand-held sample gun, are collected on surfaces coated with gas chromatograph (GC) material which trap explosives vapors but repel nitric oxide, then are desorbed and concentrated in one or more cold spot concentrators. A high speed gas chromatograph (GC) separates the vapors, after which specific vapors are decomposed in two pyrolyzers arranged in parallel and the resulting nitric oxide is detected. A low temperature pyrolyzer with silver produces NO from nitramines or nitrite esters; a high temperature pyrolyzer decomposes all explosives vapors to permit detection of the remaining explosives. Also disclosed is a series arrangement of pyrolyzers and gas chromatographs and an NO detector to time-shift detection of certain vapors and facilitate very fast GC analyses.