Infrared spectrophotometers analyze the movement of chemical bonds in organic molecules using infrared light. They can identify unknown chemicals and determine sample purity, and are used in research and chemical industries. Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometers are the most accurate and consist of five parts: the infrared radiation source, interferometer, sample, detector, and computer. They can identify functional groups in unknown samples and have libraries and databases for identification.
An infrared spectrophotometer is a device used in organic chemistry to gather information about the structural properties of organic molecules and compounds. In this particular type of spectrophotometer, infrared light is absorbed by chemical compounds and the movement of chemical bonds is analyzed. Infrared spectrophotometers can be used to identify unknown chemicals and to determine sample purity. They are often used in research applications for universities and chemical process industries.
The infrared spectrophotometer, often known as an IR spectrophotometer, uses infrared light to cause movement in the bonds of organic molecules. Infrared light falls between visible light and microwave radiation in the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. This type of light can be further divided into the near, mid, and far IR ranges, with the mid IR range being the most useful in infrared spectroscopy. The light in this region can have a wavelength, o , of 3×10-4 to 3×10-3 centimeters. This range can also be expressed in terms of wavenumber, o , which is the inverse of wavelength.
Organic molecules can absorb infrared light and, as a result, can vibrate in different ways. Absorption of infrared light occurs whenever the radiant energy of the light itself matches the energy of a given molecular vibration. The motion can be described by the symmetrical and asymmetrical stretching of the molecular bonds and bending of the molecular bonds.
An infrared spectrophotometer that uses a prism or grating to divide the infrared radiation source into separate frequencies is known as a scattering infrared spectrophotometer. A more modern design, the Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, is the device of choice in research and industrial settings. The accuracy of the reported wavenumbers is constant throughout the scan region of the device due to the constant resolving power.
A Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer consists of five basic parts: the infrared radiation source, the interferometer, the sample, the detector, and the computer. The source of infrared radiation is usually an incandescent blackbody source and the amount of energy emitted is controlled by an aperture. The interferometer is an optical device that performs spectral coding on the infrared radiation beam. The beam passes through the sample and then through the detector, which decodes the interferogram signals from the interferometer. The final step is the computer, which performs a Fourier transform on the data and presents it in a usable interface.
The infrared spectrophotometer is unique in that it can be used to identify functional groups in an unknown sample. Some functional groups have a unique “fingerprint” or absorption peak that can be identified from an infrared spectrophotometer output graph. Libraries and databases of organic chemical readings can be used to identify unknown organic samples.
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