INFRARED

SPECTROSCOPY
Principle of operation

Infrared spectroscopy relies on the property of bonds in which the

different bonds oscillate at different frequencies
By adding different frequencies of infrared light the oscillation of
certain bonds will increase accordingly
By measuring the values gained through the test and comparing it to
the available data, the operator can determine the composition of
the compound itself
 Parts

Light source. Infrared energy is emitted from a glowing black-body source as

continuous radiations.
Beam Splitter: Usually a partially silvered mirror similar to a two way mirror, This
allows a fraction of the light falling on it to pass through it and another fraction to be
reflected.
Sample compartment. It is the place where the beam is transmitted through the
sample. In the sample compartment, specific frequencies of energy are absorbed.
Detector. The beam finally passes to the detector for final measurement. The two most
popular detectors for a FTIR spectrometer are deuterated triglycine sulfate (pyroelectric
detector) and mercury cadmium telluride (photon or quantum detector). The measured
signal is sent to the computer where the Fourier transformation takes place.
Advantages

The operation of the machine is fast

It is sensitive
Can analyse solid, liquid, gas, semi-solids, powders, and polymers
It is cheap
Disadvantages

Atoms or monatomic ions do not have infrared spectra

Homonuclear diatomic molecules do not posses infrared spectra
Complex mixture and aqueous solutions are difficult to analyze using
infrared spectroscopy
Not as accurate as other methods such as UV spectroscopy