Authors: Braden C. Giordano1, Mark Hammond1, Christopher Katilie2, Matthew Mullen3

1Chemistry Division, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Dr. SW, Washington, DC, USA; 2Nova Research Inc., Alexandria, VA, USA; 3Former post-doctoral fellow from the National Research Council, Washington, DC, USA

Trace vapor generation and delivery is critical in the development and evaluation of trace detectors, including canines. Given the breadth of chemical structures, properties, and volatilities associated with target molecules, be they explosives, narcotics, or other contraband, it is of critical importance to understand the mechanism/source of vapors and the delivery pathway to a detector. This talk focuses on presenting various mechanisms of vapor generation and discusses the nuances of vapor transport. Critically important is understanding the relationship between vapor pressure and the amount of analyte available in the environment for detection. This talk will introduce various modes of vapor generation, the consequences of vapor transport, and concluding with efforts describing vapor concentration validation methodologies.