FTIR spectrometer
FTIR stands for Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and is a spectroscopic method used to measure how different materials absorb infrared light. It is widely used in chemistry, materials science, pharmaceutical research and many other fields where the aim is to identify molecular structures or functional groups in a sample.
More information
What is IR spectroscopy?
In IR (infrared) spectroscopy, a sample is irradiated with infrared light. Many molecular bonds vibrate and rotate in a way that causes them to absorb specific wavelengths of this infrared light. By measuring which wavelengths are absorbed, conclusions can be drawn about which bonds and functional groups are present in the molecules.
How does FTIR differ from traditional (dispersive) IR spectroscopy?
Traditional IR spectroscopy used a grating or prism to split the IR light into different wavelengths (frequencies) and then measured the absorption at each frequency separately. In an FTIR spectrometer, instead, a single measurement (interferogram) is made covering all wavelengths simultaneously, and then a mathematical Fourier transform to convert the interferogram into a standard IR spectrum (i.e. light intensity versus wavelength or wavenumber). This provides faster measurements and often higher resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio than traditional IR instruments.
