Deconvolution of analytical peaks by means of the fast Hartley transform

Abstract

A peak is one of the commonest and more desirable forms of analytical response. In multicomponent systems, where each individual component might give rise to one or more peaks, overlap between adjacent peaks often takes place. Depending on the degree of overlap, the extraction of qualitative and quantitative data can be difficult, and in extreme cases, impossible. In this paper, a method for deconvoluting overlapping peaks, based on the implementation of the fast Hartley transform (FHT), is described. The FHT is superior to the traditionally used fast Fourier transform in terms of speed and memory requirements. The program for deconvolution was developed in an object-oriented, icon-based software development tool (LabVIEW for Windows). The suggested method was applied to electroanalytical data involving overlapping peaks.