Minute amounts of material, such as a contaminant, are detected, classified
and located using a single procedure that eliminates the need for using complex
and sometimes redundant instrumentation setups, multiple (and sometimes overlapping)
analytic processes, or both. In one embodiment, a series of processing steps enables
one to detect, classify, and localize minute amounts of particular elements, e.g.,
contaminants, in material being tested. Data sets, suitable for characterizing
components of samples at least spectrally and spatially, are collected from at
least one uncontaminated sample of material (the "baseline" or "control") and a
sample of material under test (MUT) that may contain contaminants. Comparison of
these data sets, using the procedures of the present invention, enables ready classification
of minute amounts of material in any sample. The present invention may be used
for liquids, solids, and gases, with specific application to gels, pastes, hard
powders, soft powders, films, inorganics, and pharmaceuticals.
