Brian C. Smith

November 28, 2022

We continue our survey of the spectra of carbonyl-containing polymers by looking at cellulose acetate and the economically important polycarbonate Lexan.

October 01, 2022

An exploration of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the most important polymers, is presented.

August 01, 2022

We continue our survey of the infrared (IR) spectra of polymers with a look at the spectra of polymers that contain carbonyl or C=O bonds. Our long-term goal is to examine the spectra of polymers that contain ketone, carboxylic acid, ester, and carbonate linkages. Studying these spectra is vital, because these molecules are important economically and are ubiquitous in society.

May 01, 2022

An examination of polymers with C-O bonds, focusing on the spectra of polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose, starch, and copolymers.

March 01, 2022

Epoxies are perhaps the most economically important functional group of polymers. We explain how to interpret their spectra.

January 01, 2022

Many rubbery polymers contain C=C bonds, which means they are alkenes. Thus, we can identify natural and synthetic rubbers by examining the spectra of cis-, trans-, and tri-substituted alkenes.

November 01, 2021

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy can be used to distinguish the spectra of hydrocarbon polymers from one another.

September 01, 2021

Here, we finish a discussion of the spectrum of polyethylene (PE) and explore how different PE syntheses produce materials with different physical and spectroscopic properties.

July 01, 2021

Polymers contain practically every infrared functional group imaginable. Now that we understand infrared functional groups from previous articles, it is time to look at the spectra of polymers in greater detail.

May 01, 2021

Determining the components in a mixture can be a significant challenge in infrared spectroscopy, but spectral subtraction can help. We show the proper way to perform spectral subtraction, and the pitfalls to avoid.