ABSTRACT
A mass spectrometer is an instrument that bombards an organic molecule with high energy electrons to ionize the molecule. If an organic molecule in the sample beam absorbed infrared light, the sample beam will be less intense than the reference beam. The spectrophotometer scans through a range of wavelengths and those regions of the spectrum that were absorbed by the organic molecule appear as peaks. Most organic molecules have carbons and hydrogen atoms, and therefore will have C—H signals in the infrared. The O—H bond is significantly more polarized than the C—H bond and should, therefore, give a much stronger absorption. Each individual molecule will have its own peculiar set of bending, stretching, rocking, twisting, and wagging vibrations due to the carbon “backbone” of the molecule as well as the functional group bonds. Infrared spectroscopy focuses on the vibrations of individual bonds.
