In virtually all types of experiments in which a response is analyzed as
a function of frequency (e. g., a spectrum), transform techniques can
significantly improve data acquisition and/or data reduct ion.
Research-level nuclear magnet ic resonance and infra-red spectra are
already obtained almost exclusively by Fourier transform methods,
because Fourier transform NMR and IR spectrometers have been
commercially available since the late 1960-s. Similar transform
techniques are equally valuable (but less well-known) for a wide range
of other chemical applications for which commercial instruments are only
now becoming available: for example, the first corrmercial Fourier
transform mass spectrometer was introduced this year (1981) by Nicolet
Instrument Corporation. The purpose of this volume is to acquaint
practicing chemists with the basis, advantages, and applica- of Fourier,
Hadamard, and Hilbert transforms in chemistry. For tions almost all
chapters, the author is the investigator who was the first to apply such
methods in that field. The basis and advantages of transform techniques
are described in Chapter 1. Many of these aspects were understood and
first applied by infrared astronomers in the 1950-s, in order to improve
the otherwise unacceptably poor signal-to-noise ratio of their spec-
tra. However, the computations required to reduce the data were
painfully slow, and required a 1 arge computer.
