Matt Prater

Lab 12

Infrared Spectroscopy
Infrared radiation (IR) causes bonds to vibrate, and detecting the exact frequency at
which the vibration happens allows for a spectrum to be formed. A fourier-transform IR (FTIR)
uses a mirror that moves at a specific rate that determines the resolution. The slower the motion,
the better the resolution as the amount of light (intensity) that reaches the detector for each
wavelength or frequency is increased. The % transmittance versus wavenumber (cm -1) is then
shown on the monitor as the spectrum. The number of scans also affects the strength of the
signals by performing signal averaging. After each scan, the data collected will be averaged with
the previous scan(s) and due to noise being random, it will cancel out and the signals will not,
providing a better spectrum. Figures 1 through 8 are the different spectra that were observed via
FTIR.

Figure 1: Caffeine

Figure 2: Cholesterol
Figure 3: Dextrin.
Figure 4: Ethylene
Glycol
Figure 5: Glycerol
Figure 6: Naphthalene

Prater

Figure 7: Succinamide

Figure 8: Sulfanilamide