Practical FT-IR in the lab

Spyder

Practical FT-IR In The Lab

Hands-on Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy training course at our new Mt. Kisco demo lab

Gain practical FT-IR skills with real samples, proven techniques, and trusted accessories.

Explore

- Understand FT-IR fundamentals and sampling techniques

- Troubleshoot common issues

- Confidently operate Specac accessories

- ATR, Transmission, DRIFTS, and Specular Reflection

- Work with solids, liquids, powders, and coated substrates

- Apply skills to your own samples and an unknown challenge

Overview

Description:

The Specac FT-IR Training Course is designed for users who are new to FT-IR spectroscopy, data acquisition, and sample preparation. This practical course combines lectures, laboratory sessions, and demonstrations, focusing on core principles of FT-IR instrumentation and hands-on use of key Specac sampling accessories.

Especially, participants will have the opportunity to take part in hands-on experiments at our brand-new demo lab in Mt. Kisco, New York, where they’ll get a close look at some of the most popular spectrometers in the market and see how Specac accessories enhance analysis that advances life.

Date:

A one-day option is available

Learning Outcomes

Gain Knowledge:
- Understand FT-IR fundamentals and theory
- Choose appropriate sampling techniques for different sample types
- Identify common spectral artifacts
- Troubleshoot typical sampling issues

Gain Practical Skills:
- Operate core Specac accessories with confidence
- Prepare samples correctly to achieve reliable results
- Apply proper maintenance and cleaning procedures

Hands-On Experience:

ATR Sampling – Solids, liquids, and powders using accessories such as Quest, Golden Gate, ConcentratIR2, and VariGATR.
Transmission Sampling – Liquids using Pearl, Omni Demountable Liquid Cell, other variable temperature or high-pressure cells and KBr pellets.
DRIFTS – Powder analysis using the Praying Mantis and the Upward Cricket.
Specular Reflection – Coated Si substrates, optics, and mirrors using ERA-45, ERA-30, Refractor2, and Seagull.

Additional Opportunities:

Participants are encouraged to bring their own samples for practical work.
A final challenge session will give attendees the chance to apply their new skills to an unknown sample.

Meet the team

Bisirat Araya

Applications Scientist

Bisirat holds a B.A. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan University and is an Applications Scientist at Specac-Harrick with over eleven years of experience at Harrick Scientific. She specialises in technical customer support, sample evaluations, equipment setup, and technical documentation.
Bisirat collaborates with customers to optimise equipment performance and works with applications and engineering teams to develop new products.

Jim Delaney

Applications Scientist Team Lead

Jim is the Applications Team Manager at Specac, with over 10 years of experience supporting advanced spectroscopy applications across research, industrial, and commercial environments.

He leads a global applications team that partners closely with sales and product management, providing technical leadership throughout the customer engagement process. Jim works directly with customers to evaluate samples, optimize measurement approaches, and enable successful implementation of spectroscopy solutions.

He also plays an active role in special/custom application development, technical training, and guiding new product direction through close collaboration with customers and B2B partners.

Jeff D’Agostino

Sr. Applications Chemist

Jeff has over 40 years in the FT-IR spectrometer accessory industry, including work with three of the top four companies in the field.
He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Central Connecticut State College (now University) and an A.S. in Chemical Engineering from Norwalk State Technical College.
His roles have included applications support, product management, training, sales, and marketing. Jeff has helped develop new IR accessories, presented at industry events, and authored publications. He is a member of the Coblentz Society, SAS, and ACS.