Ultrasound-Based Detection Techniques

Analytical chemists have been reluctant to use ultrasound-based detection techniques, which have been widely employed in other research fields — particularly in physical chemistry, where they have enabled complex theoretical developments with which the analytical chemist is usually unfamiliar. Ultrasound-based detection can be a useful tool for analytical chemists provided they acquire the required basic knowledge about it. This chapter summarizes such basic knowledge for both potential and incipient users of batch [1-3] and continuous approaches [4-6] to leading the samples to a US detector. 

Analytical chemists are encouraged to find ways to apply the continuous advances in US-based detection reported in the medical literature (mainly ultrasonic imaging and signal processing [7]) in pure analytical chemistry. 

The ultrasound intensity employed in US-based detection is so low (typically 1 W/cm ) that it causes no physical or chemical alteration of the properties of the material through which the wave propagates the amplitude of deformations is therefore extremely small, so ultrasonic spectroscopic techniques can be deemed non-destructive. 

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Part II of the book deals with lesser known aspects of US for the analytical chemists such as its use as an energy source for detection purposes. Thus, ultrasound-based detection techniques viz. US spectrometry in its various modes including ultrasound attenuation, ultrasonic velocity, resonant ultrasound, laser-generated, ultrasound reflection and acoustic wave impedance spectroscopies) are dealt with in Chapter 9. Finally, Chapter 10 is devoted to seleoted applioations of US spectrometry — mostly non-analytical applications from whioh, however, analytical chemists can derive new, interesting analytical uses for ultrasound-based deteotion techniques. 

WAYS OF USING ULTRASOUND IN ULTRASOUND-BASED DETECTION TECHNIQUES... 

Basic principles of ultrasonic primary responses in ultrasound-based detection techniques... 

Ultrasound-based detection techniques constitute a broad group of techniques that use ultrasound energy to interrogate and measure the response of a given specimen or only as interrogating force. These techniques have been named according to the way US is... 

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