ABSTRACT
Infrared spectroscopy is the study of the interaction of infrared light with matter. The fundamental measurement obtained in infrared spectroscopy is an infrared spectrum, which is a plot of measured infrared intensity versus wavelength (or wavenumber) of light. An instrument used to obtain an infrared spectrum is called an infrared spectrometer. There are several kinds of spectrometers in the world used to obtain infrared spectra. The most prevalent type of spectrometer is called a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer. It is important to know the strengths and weaknesses of any analytical technique, so the technique may be used in the proper way. Infrared spectroscopy works well on some samples, and poorly on others. Infrared spectroscopy has many advantages as a chemical analysis technique. Light can be thought of as having wave-like and particle-like properties. Most modern infrared spectra are plotted with wavenumber on the X-axis, but some older spectra are plotted in wavelength.
