MSN Home  |  My MSN  |  Hotmail
Sign in to Windows Live ID Web Search:   
go to MSNGroups 
Free Forum Hosting
 
Important Announcement Important Announcement
The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
Chemistry Corner[email protected] 
  
What's New
  
  Welcome Page  
  About This Site  
  Message Boards  
  General  
  Inorganic  
  Organic  
  Pictures  
  Random  
  FOR ALL  
  Handy Symbols  
  Chemistry Humor  
    
  Documents  
  Chemistry Sites I  
  Chemistry Sites II  
  Chemistry Sites III  
  Organic Sites I  
  Organic Sites II  
  Analytical Sites I  
  Analytical Sites II  
  Lesson Plan Sites  
  Online Problems  
  Names & Formulas  
  Naming Exercises  
  Equations I  
  Equations II  
  Eq. Exercises I  
  Eq. Exercises II  
  The Mole I  
  The Mole II  
  Mole Exercises  
  Stoichiometry  
  Stoich. Exercises  
  More Communities  
  School's Out!  
  _________________  
  Site Map  
  
  
  Tools  
 
Organic : IR Spectroscopy
Choose another message board
 
     
Reply
 Message 1 of 2 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameGuy_SoCa  (Original Message)Sent: 3/12/2008 2:56 AM
I took an IR spectrum for a an alcohol that was synthesized in lab and the graph only shows transmittance from 11% to 53%.. What does that mean as far as the sample goes.. does it mean that there was very little amount of sample loaded?

Thanx in advance!!


First  Previous  2 of 2  Next  Last 
Reply
 Message 2 of 2 in Discussion 
From: MSN Nickname·Steve·Sent: 3/12/2008 5:06 AM
That may turn out to be the answer, but I need to be clearer about the transmittance "direction" in your IR spectrum.  If the transmittance is 100%, then the sample is not absorbing any IR radiation.  All 100% of the IR light is passing through the sample without any being absorbed.  If very little sample is present, the percent transmittances will be high, close to 100%, and more sample should be used.

Percent transmittances between around 11% and 53% are reasonable, but there are usually some regions of the spectrum where the percent transmittance is nearly 100%.  I am visualizing a spectrum with 100% T at the top of the Y-axis of the graph and 0% T at the bottom (the "peaks" go downward).  So in other words, if your percent transmittance is overall too low, the sample is absorbing too much radiation and less sample should be used.

Too much sample gives low percent transmittance (and high absorbance), while too little sample gives high percent transmittance (and low absorbance).
 
I hope the percent transmittance of this explanation is high! 

Steve