ABSTRACT
The infrared region occupies only a small portion of the electro-magnetic radiation spectrum, lying between the more energetic ultraviolet region and the low energy radio frequency region. Accordingly if a spectrum is suspected as corresponding to a known compound, a comparison is best achieved by obtaining, if possible, an authentic sample of the suspected compound and running its spectrum in the same medium and under identical conditions as the unknown. Chemical bonds are not rigid and inflexible entities, but are capable of undergoing a series of different vibrations. In this sense, molecules appear to behave as if they were balls connected to springs, with the balls representing atoms and the springs representing chemical bonds. Bond vibrations may be of several general types, consisting of asymmetrical and symmetrical stretching vibrations as well as in-plane and out-of-plane bending modes; all are referred to as fundamental vibrations.
