Gas analyzer apparatus and method of analyzing gases

A gas analyzer apparatus comprising:

• (a) a reusable, substantially non-pervious platform including a plurality of orifices;
• (b) a reservoir of a reagent capable of reacting with a predetermined gas to cause a detectable change in a characteristic of the reagent;
• (c) a dispenser that dispenses a controlled quantity of the reagent as a droplet from the reservoir into one of the plurality of orifices on the platform, wherein the droplet is retained in the orifice by capillary action;
• (d) an optical source adjacent the non-pervious platform that emits a beam of light;
• and
• (e) a chemical signature detector that detects the presence of the predetermined gas within the droplet on the platform in response to the predetermined gas and the controlled quantity of the reagent reacting to cause a detectable change in a characteristic of the reagent and a change in a wavelength of the beam of light passing through the droplet and detected by the detector.