Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy

Latest News


Bright background with contemporary effect. Vivid grunge gradient. Acid colors. Trendy vector illustration with noise dust texture | Image Credit: © annetdebar - stock.adobe.com.

We wrap up our discussion of the mid-infrared spectra of inorganic compounds by looking at the spectra of silicates, nitrates, and phosphates. We will see that silicates have complex surface chemistry, and that infrared spectroscopy can tell us something about this. We will note that, of the five families of inorganics examined, the wavenumber ranges for the polyatomic anion stretching peaks in several of these functional groups overlap. However, polyatomic anion bending vibration peaks can be used to distinguish the five types of inorganics studied.

Peter R. Griffiths

Spectroscopy is publishing a series of feature articles highlighting the lives and careers of the most influential spectroscopists over the past 100 years. These individuals were selected by our Editorial Advisory Board and team of editors to represent the leading figures in spectroscopy over the century. Our second featured Icon of Spectroscopy is Peter R. Griffiths.

Molecular structure illustration. Close up of blue chemical elements, background. | Image Credit: © ImageFlow - stock.adobe.com.

This column discusses the spectra of different inorganic functional groups, such as sulfates, carbonates, nitrates, silicates, and phosphates, with special attention being paid to the stretching and bending vibrations of the polyatomic anions in these compounds.

A one-inch-diameter silicon substrate coated with a conventionally deposited interference coating.| Image Credit: © Valentin Wittwer – Institut de Physique, Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Researchers from Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions, the University of Vienna, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have achieved a revolutionary breakthrough, publishing in Nature Communications, with mid-infrared supermirrors exhibiting finesse exceeding 400,000, promising unprecedented sensitivity for applications in trace gas sensing and precision spectroscopy.

A picture of a network of molecules, with different shapes and sizes, representing various molecular structures Generative AI | Image Credit: © Denis Yevtekhov - stock.adobe.com.

The author dispels the notion that inorganics do not have mid-infrared spectra by providing an overview of the general characteristics of their infrared spectra.