Accurate gas analysis is critical across many disciplines. Manufacturing plants need to monitor gases handled within their factories and produced by their processes for both safety and process control purposes. Environmental scientists detect and identify gaseous pollutants and toxins during site remediation and after hazmat incidents. Researchers study gases to characterize chemical reactions and to unravel chemical phenomena. Mid infrared (IR) spectroscopy, specifically using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) instruments, has often been used for these and other applications because of its inherent specificity operating in the “fingerprint” spectral region where most gases have clear spectral signatures. However, in many demanding applications requiring detection of low concentrations, fast detection times, remote open path gas monitoring, or ultraportability, FTIR performance comes up short, leaving end users searching for new ways to solve these problems. Block Engineering now offers a product line using next generation IR Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) technology to address demanding gas sensing requirements with a compact rugged instrument.