Abstract: An improved ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) and method for operating the same which enables analysis of chlorine dioxide in a mixture of gases which also includes the interferant chlorine. A controlled concentration of an amine such as methylamine is added to the air carrier gas stream prior to application of the carrier gas stream. The amine suppresses the chlorine peak, thereby improving the specificity of the IMS to chlorine dioxide. The IMS of the present invention also includes an improved membrane filter for pre-filtering chlorine, and a software algorithm for accommodating peak drift.

Abstract: An improved method for operating an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) to enable detection of an acid gas analyte when air is used as the carrier gas and the drift gas in the IMS. A controlled concentration of a dopant substance is added to the air carrier gas stream prior to application of the carrier gas stream. In the IMS, the drift times of the ions generated from the doped air carrier gas differ from the drift times of the ions generated from the acid gas analyte, enabling the identification and quantification of the analyte. The dopants comprise substituted phenol compounds, with methyl salicylate (MS) or 2-hydroxyacetophenone (2-HAP) being preferred.