Nicolet 170-SX FTIR Spectrometer 170-GC Gas Chromatograph GC/IR Option 1980s

Nicolet 170-SX FTIR Spectrometer 170-GC Gas Chromatograph GC/IR Option 1980s

The Nicolet 170-SX is a mid-1980s research-grade Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer manufactured by Nicolet Instrument Corporation. This system includes the 170-GC Gas Chromatograph GC/IR interface option, which coupled a gas chromatograph directly to the FTIR optical bench, allowing real-time infrared identification of GC eluents — a powerful hyphenated technique widely used in analytical chemistry, environmental analysis, and chemical identification. The system is being sold as-is for parts or experimenter value; no computer interface or control software is included.

Specifications & What's Included

• Make: Nicolet Instrument Corporation (NIC)
• Model: 170-SX FTIR Spectrometer
• Option included: 170-GC Gas Chromatograph GC/IR Interface
• Two-cabinet system: main FTIR optical bench cabinet + 170-GC GC/IR enclosure unit
• Optical bench: open-beam interferometer layout with mirror mounts, beam splitter assembly, sample stages, and precision optical rail components visible on black breadboard
• Detector: red cylindrical cryogenic detector dewar (MCT-type, visible in photos)
• Temperature controllers: two DigiTec Model 2770A digital displays — Light Pipe and Transfer Line temperature monitoring
• GC/IR control panel: Light Pipe and Transfer Line mechanical counter displays, indicator lights, AC Power ON/OFF toggle switch
• NIC proprietary keyboard with blue keys and red LED indicator row
• Rear keyboard ports: Joystick (DB9), Serial (DB9)
• Electronics chassis with power supply modules and wiring harnesses (visible in underside photos)
• Included documentation: multiple Nicolet/NIC-branded binders including a Software binder and various technical manuals (see photos)
• Computer interface and control software: NOT included
• Era: manufactured mid-1980s (approx. 1984–1987)
• Provenance: removed from a U.S. government laboratory in the late 1990s

Applications

The Nicolet 170-SX was a flagship research FTIR spectrometer of the mid-1980s, aimed at university, government, and industrial analytical laboratories requiring high-sensitivity infrared spectroscopy. FTIR instruments of this generation replaced older dispersive IR spectrometers, offering dramatically faster scan times and improved signal-to-noise ratio through the Fellgett (multiplex) and Jacquinot (throughput) advantages of the Michelson interferometer design. The 170-GC GC/IR option integrated a heated light-pipe interface and transfer line directly into the optical path, enabling on-the-fly IR identification of compounds eluting from a gas chromatograph column — a technique that complemented GC/MS and was heavily used in environmental monitoring, chemical forensics, and flavor/fragrance analysis through the 1980s and 1990s. Nicolet Instrument Corporation (Madison, Wisconsin) was one of the dominant FTIR manufacturers of that era, later acquired by Thermo Electron (now Thermo Fisher Scientific). The 170-series instruments are now largely obsolete for production use due to their dependence on proprietary minicomputer-based software and hardware interfaces, but the optical bench and accessory components retain significant value for researchers, hobbyists, and experimenters working with FTIR optics.