Safety precautions

Purge requirements

• The instrument contains precise optical components that may be damaged by a moist environment. It is recommended to install a source of clean dry air or nitrogen to purge the spectrometer. This is especially important if humidity levels are above 70% RH in the laboratory environment.
• Optical damage caused by failure to maintain the desiccants or to purge the spectrometer is not covered under your warranty.
• You may also have a laboratory environment that contains solvents or other agents that can corrode spectrometer components. Purging the spectrometer will better protect the components.
• The interaction of chlorinated solvents, perfluorochlorinated solvents, or other solvents containing halogenated hydrocarbons (for example, Freon®) with an IR source can corrode spectrometer components. Do not leave these solvents exposed around the spectrometer any longer than necessary. 

Selecting a purge gas

	Avoid hazard. Never use a flammable, combustible, or toxic gas to purge this instrument. The purge gas must be free of oil and other reactive materials. Heat from the source or from laser absorption may ignite flammable gases or reactive materials in purge gas. Use only dried air or nitrogen to purge your instrument.

Dry air and nitrogen are equally effective in eliminating water vapor and volatile solvents, but nitrogen will remove carbon dioxide from your spectrum more effectively. The purge gas must be free of moisture, oil, and other reactive materials. To remove particulate matter and oil, you may need to install a 10‑micrometer filter. Dry air or nitrogen supplied for purge should be dried to a dew point of -70 °C (-94 °F) or below for best performance.

Installing purge gas fittings

If you plan to purge the instrument, you must install the purge line and on/off valve before the instrument arrives. The source line pressure delivered to the pressure regulator must be at least 1.4 bar (138 kPa, or 20 psig) and must not exceed 7 bar (700 kPa, or 100 psig), with a minimum flow rate of 20 SCFH.

A pressure regulator is required at 20 psig. If the purge kit was purchased with the system, our service representative will install a pressure regulator and flowmeter. These components will maintain pressure and flow for optimal data collection. See the “Service” section of the user guide for more detailed information.

It is important to have all system utilities installed before the spectrometer arrives. Utility installations must comply with all local building and safety codes.

Purge gas generators

If your facility does not have a source of clean, dry, compressed air or nitrogen for system purge, we recommend using a purge gas generator. It cleans and dries the air supplied by an air compressor so it can be used to purge the instrument. If your facility does not have an air compressor, a complete dry air generating system is available. Contact our sales or service representative in your area for more information.

Liquid nitrogen

Some detectors must be cooled with liquid nitrogen before use. Follow your organization’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and handling guidelines when working with liquid nitrogen.

Avoid freeze burns. Liquid nitrogen is extremely cold and potentially hazardous. Wear protective equipment and follow standard laboratory safety practices.  To avoid hazardous contact with liquid nitrogen, make sure that any dewar or container used to hold liquid nitrogen can do so without breaking. When fitting the dewar, be careful not to contact the liquid nitrogen with your skin. Fill the dewar slowly. Cooling the detector too quickly may cause the dewar to rapidly boil off liquid nitrogen.

Hazardous materials including corrosives and flammables

Spectroscopic analysis may involve the use of solvents or samples which are volatile or corrosive.

	Avoid an explosion or fire hazard. This instrument or accessory is not designed for use in an explosive atmosphere.

	Avoid personal injury. Do not leave solvents or flammable samples near the instrument. Be sure that the workspace is properly ventilated.

• Use appropriate personal protective equipment when handling these samples.
• Solvents and corrosives may damage the surfaces or structure of the instrument if spilled on it.
• When working with volatile materials, ensure proper workspace ventilation to minimize entry of vapors into the interior of the instrument.

Fire safety and burn hazards

Avoid personal injury and risk of fire or explosion.  Do not test flammable or explosive samples. Use only nitrogen or dried air to purge your instrument. Do not touch the infrared source housing; it may be very hot. Do not place anything on the electronics cover. After your turn off the instrument, wait 15 minutes before you replace components. Never block any of the vents on an instrument or its power supply. Use the exact Thermo Fisher-provided replacement for power supplies.

The infrared source in your instrument can be removed without removing the main cover. If you remove the source, be aware that the source housing may be very hot and stays hot for up to 15 minutes after you turn off the instrument. To avoid being burned or starting a fire, do not touch the source with your body or any flammable object until it has cooled. 

Corrosive solvents

	Avoid toxic inhalation hazard. Materials such as hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, and phosphene are highly toxic. If regular use of solvents containing halogenated hydrocarbons is desired, be sure the work area is properly ventilated.

Using solvents that may produce HCl or HF vapors in the sample compartment may severely damage the system. If using halogenated solvents, such as those listed below, purging the instrument with clean dry air or nitrogen is strongly recommended. Equipment damage due to failure to purge is not covered under the warranty. For questions about this, please contact us. The following is a list of commonly used halogenated solvents:

• Freon
• Methylene chloride
• Trichloroethylene
• Chloroform
• Carbon tetrachloride

Biohazard or radioactive materials and infectious agents

	Avoid hazard. Reduce the risk associated with potentially infectious samples. Do not spill samples on any of the instrument components. If a spill occurs, disinfect the external surfaces immediately following your laboratory protocols.

• Follow your organization’s Biosafety Program protocols for working with and/or handling potentially infectious materials. Individuals should be trained according to applicable regulatory and organization requirements before working with potentially infectious materials.
• Do not return to us any instruments, accessories, components or other associated materials that have been contaminated with biohazard or radioactive materials, infectious agents, or any other materials and/or conditions that could constitute a health or injury hazard to employees. 
• Biological samples such as tissues, body fluids, infectious agents, and blood of humans and other animals have the potential to transmit infectious diseases.

Contact us if you have questions about decontamination requirements.

Zinc selenide

The Nicolet Apex spectrometer can be optionally purchased in a non-hygroscopic zinc selenide (ZnSe) configuration, as opposed to the more common potassium bromide (KBr) configuration. The ZnSe configuration replaces the instrument's KBr sample compartment windows, beamsplitter, and detector windows with ZnSe counterparts.

	Avoid toxic inhalation and ingestion.  Zinc selenide is toxic. Refer to the manufacturer's Safety Data Sheet at www.specac.com for handling and exposure controls. Wear protective gloves when replacing the ZnSe sample compartment windows.

Laser safety

This instrument is a laser product. The laser source is an 850 nm diode laser that emits radiation invisible to the human eye. 

	Avoid personal injury. Never stare into the laser beam or at its reflection. Never tamper with the laser head, even if you are replacing a defective laser.

Protective housing

A protective housing covers this instrument. More than 80 percent of the laser light is lost as it passes through the instrument optics. The accessible laser radiation in the sample compartment is very low, with less than 200 µW of continuous power.

Laser emissions

This instrument is classified as a Class I laser product (FDA-CDRH and IEC 60825-1:2014), which is inherently safe. Less than 200 µW of reflective laser light is accessible during normal use and maintenance.

Manufacturer’s laser information

In some jurisdictions, you may be required to register this instrument. Check with your company's safety officer or your local government offices. The following is information that might be needed for registration.

Cleaning your instrument

	Avoid personal injury. Never stare into the laser beam or at its reflection. Never tamper with the laser head, even if you are replacing a defective laser.

Clean the outside of the spectrometer with a damp (not wet) soft cloth and a mild soap.