Best of the Week: IR Spectral Interpretation, Women in STEM

Welcome back to Best of the Week, where we round up the top stories from Spectroscopy. This week, we've got a new IR interpretation column, a look at how spectroscopy curricula are evolving, and a preview of the ACS Fall 2026 meeting. Let's get into it.

First, how do chemists tell substituted benzene rings apart just by looking at an IR spectrum? The latest installment of our "IR Spectral Interpretation" column tackles this, expanding beyond mono- and disubstituted compounds to cover tri-, tetra-, and penta-substituted rings.¹ The short answer comes down to two features: the position of the C–H wagging vibration, which depends on how many adjacent hydrogens are moving in phase, and the presence or absence of the ring bend peak, which depends on the molecule's symmetry.¹ Together, these two clues let chemists distinguish nearly all substituted benzene ring structures.

Next, are spectroscopy curricula keeping up with what industry actually needs? On this episode of "Pathways in Spectroscopy," Mary Kate Donais of St. Anselm College says not quite. Drawing on her own background in government and industry labs, she points to practical, hands-on skills, like solution and sample preparation, as areas textbooks often skip over.² She also flags Raman spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) as increasingly essential, especially in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, specialty chemicals, and forensics.² Her goal in the classroom is to give students broader exposure to modern techniques without blowing up the curriculum.

And finally, mark your calendars as the ACS Fall 2026 meeting runs August 23rd through 27th in Chicago, Illinois, marking ACS's 150th anniversary. Currently, there are keynotes from four Nobel Laureates planned, plus a Kavli Lecture Series on AI in chemistry and green chemistry.³ There is one session we wanted to highlight in particular: Cherelle Bishop will give a talk on why women leave STEM careers mid-path, and how entrepreneurship can offer a different route forward.⁴

And that’ll do it for Best of the Week. Thanks for watching, thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next time.

References

1. Smith, B. C. Substituted Benzene Rings the Rest of the Story I: Peak Positions. Spectroscopy 2026, 41 (4), ASAP. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/substituted-benzene-rings-the-rest-of-the-story-i-peak-positions (accessed July 16, 2026).
2. Donais, M. K.; Wetzel, W. Is There Underrepresentation in Current Spectroscopy Curriculums? Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/is-there-underrepresentation-in-current-spectroscopy-curriculums- (accessed July 16, 2026).
3. Wetzel, W.; Spectroscopy Staff. What Are Some of the Keynote Events Set to Take Place at the ACS Fall 2026 Meeting? Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/what-are-some-of-the-keynote-events-set-to-take-place-at-the-acs-fall-2026-meeting (accessed July 16, 2026).
4. Wetzel, W.; Spectroscopy Staff. Are Women Leaving STEM Careers to Become Entrepreneurs? Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/are-women-leaving-stem-careers-to-become-entrepreneurs- (accessed July 16, 2026).