What Is Infrared Spectroscopy?

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In the determination of the structures of compounds and their identification, organic chemists commonly use infrared spectroscopy. It uses infrared radiation to explore the interaction of matter and energy. Infrared radiation is distinct to ultraviolet and visible light because it has particular effects on the molecule when absorbed. The principle behind infrared spectroscopy is the based on the vibrations of atoms in the molecule (Osibanjo, Curtis, & Lai, 2017).

Vibrations occur when a molecule stretches - when it expands and contracts. Two atoms can be figured out attached to each other by a massless spring. When the spring expands, the dipole moment increases and when it contracts the dipole moment decreases. This produces a fluctuation …show more content…

The frequency is expressed in wavenumbers (cm-1). There are peaks that point downward. A peak corresponds to the frequency of vibration of one particular functional group present in the molecule. Thus, a peak in the spectrum implies a functional group and the number of peaks can imply how many functional groups are there (except for aromatics that produces a series of peaks called overtones). Since one particular functional group has a unique frequency of vibration, infrared spectroscopy is used in identifying the different functional groups present in the molecule. Thus, information about the molecular structure of the compound is revealed.

Classification of IR bands are generally as strong, medium or weak. Strong bands are usually long and covers most of the y-axis. A medium band is of intermediate height. A weak band is short and covers a small portion of the y-axis. This classification of IR bands depends on the relative strength of bond polarity. Strongly polar bonds produce strong bands, medium polarity bonds produce medium bands and weakly polar bond and symmetric bonds produce weak or non – observable bands (Cortes,

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