Evaluating the third and fourth derivatives of spectral data

The problem of differentiating spectral data to yield the third and fourth derivatives is converted into one of solving an integral equation of the first kind. This equation is solved by Tikhonov regularization. The method of General Cross Validation is used to guide the choice of the regularization parameter that keeps noise amplification under control. The performance of this route to third and fourth derivative spectra is demonstrated by applying it to a number of published spectra. A computational problem associated with General Cross Validation has been identified.