In a process for the detection of a first gas in a gas mixture comprising a second gas, the absorption spectre of which interferes with the absorption spectre of the first gas, a photoacoustic measurement is carried out in the presence of a third gas which in combination with the first or the second gas exhibits kinetic cooling. During measurement the gas mixture is influenced by pulsating laser light having a constant repetition frequency where the frequency of the laser light is varied gradually. The measurement comprises at least one detection of the phase of the photoacoustic signal as a function of the laser light frequency. The invention further relates to an apparatus for carrying out the invention.