ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some of interpretation aids, and has been placed at the end of the book because interpretation aids should be used after one has had time to study a spectrum. These aids are not a substitute for knowledge and experience. The aids include collections of spectra published in atlases, spectral subtraction, library searching, software programs, and the Internet. Infrared spectral atlases are collections of infrared spectra published in book form. Atlases can also help in identifying unknowns. Spectral subtraction is one of the main tools used to attack the problem of mixture spectra. Spectral library searching is a widely used interpretation aid. In addition to determining the identity of a pure unknown, library searching has some utility in identifying components in mixtures. There are a number of software packages available today to help teach the art and science of spectral interpretation, or that will actually help people interpret a spectrum.
