Fingerprint region
Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy · Chemistry
Study notes
Two bottles both show C=O at 1715 cm⁻¹. How does IR tell them apart? Step 1: Functional-group region (>1500) identical — both have carbonyl. Step 2: Compare fingerprint region (<1500) — bending patterns differ. Step 3: Match each against library spectra. Step 4: Fingerprints decide — same pattern = same molecule!