Measurements of urea and glucose in aqueous solutions with dual-beam near-infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy

This study investigates the use of a dual-beam, optical null, FT-IR spectrometer to measure trace organic components in aqueous solutions in the combination band region 5000-4000 cm(-1). The spectrometer may be used for both single- and dual-beam measurements, thereby facilitating comparison of these two modes of operation. The concentrations of aqueous solutions of urea and glucose in the ranges 0-40 mg/dL and 0-250 mg/dL, respectively, were determined by principal component regression using both modes. The dual-beam technique eliminated instrumental variations present in the single-beam measurements that must be taken into account when quantifying trace components from single-beam spectra. The data obtained with the dual-beam technique resulted in more stable calibration models based on principal component regression. These calibration models need fewer factors and yield lower prediction errors than those based on traditional single-beam data