Ahura Scientific Launches FTIR Platform with Introduction of TruDefender FT

Ahura Scientific, Inc., a leader in handheld systems for chemical identification, today launched its new FTIR (Fourier-Transform Infrared) platform with the introduction of TruDefender™ FT, a three-pound handheld FTIR system for field-based chemical identification. Optimized for hazmat and military communities, TruDefender FT is a vitally important extension to the first responder’s toolkit, enabling users to analyze – and act – faster than ever before, with an instrument small enough to fit in a cargo pocket.

FTIR spectroscopy is a widely-accepted and highly-selective technique for chemical identification that is ideally-suited for many industries, including public safety applications like hazmat response. Building on its legacy in handheld Raman spectroscopy, Ahura Scientific recognized FTIR’s promise and developed an ultra-compact, easy-to-use FTIR system designed to the same exacting standards as the company’s award-winning FirstDefender^®. The launch of the FTIR platform underscores the company’s ability to leverage different molecular spectroscopy methods to support an array of applications and markets.

TruDefender FT will be demonstrated at PITTCON 2008 Booth # 2204 in New Orleans, Louisiana, March 3 – 6, 2008.

In addition to the safety and security market, Ahura Scientific’s new FTIR platform can be applied to a range of quality control (QC), product verification, and raw material inspection applications in the industrial sector, including pharmaceutical manufacturing, food production, petrochemical processing, and composite analysis.

"Timely and accurate substance identification in the field is critical,” said Matthew Farr, senior homeland security analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “A rugged, handheld and user-friendly FTIR device has the potential to revolutionize the way first responders identify and analyze substances in the field, greatly improving their decision-making capabilities."

With chemical threats growing every day – whether acts of terrorism, illegally dumped industrial materials or clandestine drug labs – public safety demands that onsite identification capabilities continue to advance. Two of the most widely-adopted technologies for identification of unknown solids and liquids are Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. The strength with which a substance responds to each technology is dictated by its unique molecular structure, with some responding extremely well to FTIR analysis, and others better suited to Raman. TruDefender FT was designed to complement Ahura Scientific’s FirstDefender Raman instrument to maximize coverage of a broad range of unknown substances. When used alone, each product quickly provides the analysis results needed to evaluate and identify unknown substances for safe remediation. When used together, TruDefender FT and FirstDefender can serve as confirmatory techniques and provide a more comprehensive assessment of a given scenario for greater confidence in response.

“TruDefender FT is a sophisticated FTIR system that literally fits in the palm of the hand,” said Doug Kahn, chairman and CEO of Ahura Scientific, Inc. “Our goal with TruDefender FT was to make it as robust and easy-to-use as possible, while maintaining the product accuracy and portability our customers have come to expect from Ahura Scientific.”