Spectroscopy

It is the interaction between the waves of electromagnetic radiation and matter. It is classified according to: I- Shape of the spectrum (line, discrete or continuous).

II- Level of application (atomic or molecular).

III- Nature of usage (absorption, emission or reflection).

Electromagnetic spectrum:

Advantages of IR spectroscopy:
Speed and accuracy of analysis. Small sample requirement. IR spectra are information rich; the peak position, intensities, widths, and shapes in a spectrum all provide useful information. Can be applied to solids, liquids, gases and polymers.

Disadvantages of IR spectroscopy:
Cant be applied to single atomic entities as they dont contain chemical bonds and hence dont absorb IR radiation. Nobel gases such as helium and argon dont have infrared spectra. Monoatomic ions such as Pb+2 dissolved in water arent chemically bonded to anything and dont have an infrared spectrum.

 Difficult to be applied to samples of complex composition because the spectrum will also be complex to be interpreted and it will be very hard to know which infrared bands are due to which molecules. Aqueous solutions are difficult to analyze using infrared spectroscopy.

What is an infrared spectrum?

When infrared radiation interacts with matter, it can be absorbed, causing the chemical bonds in the material to vibrate. Functional groups in a given sample tend to absorb infrared radiation in the same wavenumber range. A plot of measured infrared radiation intensity versus wavenumber is known as infrared spectrum.

A log( I 0 / I )
Where A = Absorbance I = light intensity with a sample in the infrared beam (sample spectrum) I0 = light intensity measured with no sample in the infrared beam (background spectrum)

T I / I0
Where T = transmittance I = light intensity with a sample in the infrared beam I0 = light intensity with no sample in the infrared beam

How molecules absorb infrared radiation?

I- Total dipole moment of the functional group must not be equal to zero.

Electric vector

+ -

+ -

Time