ABSTRACT
The application of infrared spectroscopy (IR) to studies of chemical systems is not new — in fact, IR has been widely used in organic and analytical chemistry for many years. The development and evolution of Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) systems has changed this, and FT-IR has now become a valuable tool for studies of aqueous biological systems. This chapter presents the basic principles of FT-IR, and the special considerations for investigators interested specifically in biological FT-IR. It discusses the specific instrumental features which are desirable for biomedical interferometry. Traditional grating-based (dispersive) IR was generally plagued with an undistinguished sensitivity, a relatively low data acquisition rate, some significant problems with long-term reproducibility, and a general lack of molecular specificity. The Fourier transform approach involves encoding wavelength-related information in the source output, and the full modulated source output is passed through a sample continuously.
