Department of Chemical Engineering

Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology

1 (10626598)

Introduction to Molecular Spectroscopy

Dr. Shadi Sawalha

Fall 2023-2024

10/18/2023
 Contents
• Introduction to spectroscopy

• Classification of spectroscopic techniques

• Common types and their introduction

• Infra-Red spectroscopy: Fundamental concepts

• Vibrations in IR- Region and calculations of different

vibrational energies in terms of frequencie.

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 Spectroscopy
Definition:
The study of the interaction between radiations and matter as a function of
wavelength λ.
Interactions with particle radiation or a response of a material to an alternating
field or varying frequency ν.
Spectrum:
A plot of the response as a function of wavelength or more commonly
frequency is referred to as a spectrum.
Spectrometry:
It is the measurement of these responses and an instrument which performs
such measurements is a spectrometer or spectrograph, although these terms
are more limited in use to the original field of optics from which the concept
sprang.
Spectroscopy is often used in physical and analytical chemistry for the
identification of substances through the spectrum emitted from or absorbed by
them. Spectroscopy is also heavily used in astronomy and remote sensing. Most
large telescopes have spectrometers, which are used either to measure the
chemical composition and physical properties of astronomical objects or to
measure their velocities from the Doppler Shift of their spectral lines.

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 Classification of Methods
The type of spectroscopy depends on the physical quantity measured. Normally, the
quantity that is measured is an intensity, either of energy absorbed or produced.
Most spectroscopic methods are differentiated as either atomic or molecular based on
whether or not they apply to atoms or molecules. Along with that distinction, they can
be classified on the nature of their interaction:
Absorption spectroscopy
It uses the range of the electromagnetic spectra in which a substance absorbs. This
includes atomic absorption spectroscopy and various molecular techniques, such as
infra-red spectroscopy in that region and Nuclear Magnetic resonance spectroscopy in
the radio region.
Emission spectroscopy
It uses the range of electromagnetic spectra in which a substance radiates (emits). The
substance first must absorb energy. This energy can be from a variety of sources, which
determines the name of the subsequent emission, like luminescence. Molecular
luminescence techniques include spectroflourimetry.
Scattering spectroscopy
It measures the amount of light that a substance scatters at certain wavelengths,
incident angles, and polarization angles. The scattering process is much faster than the
absorption/emission process. One of the most useful applications of light scattering
spectroscopy is Raman Spectroscopy.

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 Common types
• Fluorescence spectroscopy
• X.ray spectroscopy and crystallography
• Flame spectroscopy
1. Atomic emission spectroscopy
2. Atomic absorption spectroscopy
3. Atomic fluorescence spectroscopy
• Plasma emission spectroscopy
• Spark or arc emission spectroscopy
• UV/VIS spectroscopy
• IR spectroscopy
• Raman spectroscopy
• NMR spectroscopy
• Photo thermal spectroscopy
• Thermal infra-red spectroscopy
• Mass Spectroscopy

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Brief about spectroscopy

1- Fluorescence spectroscopy:
Fluorescence spectroscopy uses higher energy photons to excite a sample,
which will then emit lower energy photons. This technique has become
popular for its biochemical and medical applications.

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Cont’d
2- X-ray spectroscopy:
X-rays of sufficient frequencies interact with material and excite the atoms
contained. Due to this excitation Auger Effect is produced and some
excitation radiations are absorbed or evolved if vice versa occurs.
X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy is used in chemistry and
material sciences to determine elemental composition and chemical
bonding.

Very good and versatile technique but a little complex. It needs some
scattering light detectors along with X-ray source. Overall X-ray
diffraction technique is one that is used most widely for bond length and
angle measurements.

Examples as: X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron

spectroscopy (XPS)

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 Cont’d
3 Flame Spectroscopy:
Liquid solution samples are aspirated into a burner or nebulizer/burner
combination, desolvated, atomized, and sometimes excited to a higher
energy electronic state. The use of a flame during analysis requires fuel
and oxidant, typically in the form of gases. Common fuel gases used are
acetylene (ethyne) or hydrogen. Common oxidant gases used are oxygen,
air, or nitrous oxide. These methods are often capable of analyzing
metallic element in the PPM, billion, or possibly lower concentration
ranges. Light detectors are needed to detect light with the analysis
information coming from the flame.
- Atomic absorption Spectroscopy
- Atomic emission spectroscopy
- Atomic fluorescence spectroscopy

How would you differentiate in them?

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4- Spark or arc (emission) spectroscopy :
It is used for the analysis of metallic elements in solid samples.
For non-conductive materials, a sample is ground with graphite powder to
make it conductive.
In traditional arc spectroscopy methods, Since the conditions producing
the arc emission typically are not controlled quantitatively, the analysis
for the elements is qualitative. Nowadays, the spark sources with
controlled discharges under an argon atmosphere allow that this method
can be considered eminently quantitative, and its use is widely expanded
worldwide through production control laboratories of foundries and steel
mills.

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 Cont’d

5- UV/VIS spectroscopy:
• It basically involves the spectroscopy of photons and spectrophotometery.
• It uses light in the visible and adjacent near ultraviolet (UV) and near
infrared (NIR) ranges.
• UV/Vis spectroscopy is routinely used in the quantitative determination of
solutions of transition metal ions and highly conjugated
organic compounds.
• For the quantitative measurements, Beer-Lambert law is followed.
• The Beer-Lambert Law is useful for characterizing many compounds but
does not hold as a universal relationship for the concentration and
absorption of all substances. A 2nd order polynomial relationship
between absorption and concentration is sometimes encountered for
very large, complex molecules such as organic dyes.

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 Cont’d

6- Infra-red Spectroscopy:
• (IR spectroscopy) is the subset of spectroscopy that deals with the
infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. It covers a range of
techniques, the most common being a form of absorption spectroscopy.
As with all spectroscopic techniques, it can be used to identify compounds
or investigate sample composition.
• Infrared spectroscopy offers the possibility to measure different
types of inter atomic bond vibrations at different frequencies. Especially in
organic chemistry the analysis of IR absorption spectra shows what type of
bonds are present in the sample.
• Infrared spectroscopy exploits the fact that molecules have specific
frequencies at which they rotate or vibrate corresponding to discrete
energy levels.

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 Infra Red Spectroscopy
Introduction:
The absorption of infra-red radiations causes the various bands in a
molecule to stretch or bend w.r.t. one another.

Near IR-Region 0.8 – 2.5 micron Rotational Spec.

Mid infra red region 2.5 – 1.5 micron Vib-Roto Spec.
Far IR-Region 15 – 200 micron Overtone or harmonic

Band intensity is either expressed as absorbance or transmittance.

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 Cont’d

• To establish the identity of two compounds (comparative study)

• To determine the structure of a new compound from its functional groups

• To determine the nature of contaminants in a sample

• For quantitative analysis of a component in the overall mixture

• For the quantitative analysis of contaminants in given sample

• Some advanced physical properties of the materials

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 Basic Principles: Molecular Vibrations
• Absorption in the infra-red region is due to the changes in the vibrational
and Rotational levels.
• With low energy radiations, molecular rotations occur
• With high energy radiations, molecular vibrations occur

• Due to IR-radiation energy, a vib-rotational spectrum is obtained. The

vibrational energy depends upon the followings:
1- masses of atoms present in the molecule
2- Strength of bonds and bond distances
3- The arrangement of atoms within a molecule

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 Types of vibrations in a molecule
Two fundaments types:
1 Stretching
2 Bending

Stretching:
The distance between the two atoms increases or decreases but the
atoms remain in the same bond axis.

Bending:
The position of the atoms changes with respect to the original bond axis.

Stretching occurs at high frequencies and bending at low ?

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 Cont’d

Stretching Vibrations:
c) Symmetric stretch
d) Asymmetric stretch

Bending Vibrations:
g) Scissoring
h) Rocking
i) Wagging
j) Twisting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6mjL7t
NwJ8

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 Vibrational Frequency
Stretching vibrational frequency of a bond can be calculated through
Hook’s Law as:

K = 5 x 105 g/cm2 for single bonds

C = Velocity of radiation = 2.99 X 1010cm/s

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m1,m2 are masses of bonded atoms
 If the stretching frequency of a hydrogen molecule is 1.2 × 1014
vibrations/sec. Calculate the wavenumber where hydrogen
molecule absorption band will be observed in an IR spectrum.

Ans: The frequency of hydrogen stretching can be represented in terms

of wavenumbers as follows:
̅= 1/ = / cm-1
̅= 1.2 × 1014 −1/3 × 1010 / = 4000 cm-1

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 Do yourself
Calculate the bond vibrating frequencies and the wave numbers
for the followings:
• C–C 11. O=O
• C–O 12. C=S
• H–H 13. C=P
• O–H 14. C = Si
• O–O 15. C =_ C
• O – F 16. C – Cl
• C = C 17. C - Al
• C=O
• C=N
• C = Fe Extract the conclusions?

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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Oe7j4QM5HA

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 Energy of an electromagnetic radiation is given by:

=ℎν=ℎ /
h is Planck’s constant and has a value of 6.626 × 10-34 m2·kg·s-1

10/18/2023 One electronvolt equals 1.602 × 10-19 Joules 25

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 Cont’d

7- Raman Spectroscopy:
• It relies on inelastic scattering, or Raman scattering of
monochromatic light, usually from a laser in the visible, near infrared, or
near ultraviolet range. The laser light interacts with phonons or other
excitations in the system, resulting in the energy of the laser photons
being shifted up or down. The shift in energy gives information about the
phonon modes in the system.
• Spontaneous Raman scattering is typically very weak, and as a result
the main difficulty of Raman spectroscopy is separating the weak
inelastically scattered light from the intense Rayleigh scattered laser light.
Raman spectrometers typically use holographic diffraction gratings and
multiple dispersion stages to achieve a high degree of laser rejection.

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 G-band arises from the
stretching of the C-C bond in
graphitic materials, and is
common to all sp2 carbon
systems. If there are some
randomly distributed impurities
or surface charges in the
graphene, the G-peak can
split into two peaks, G-
peak (1583 cm-1) and D'-
peak (1620 cm-1).

We also see a
prominent band around
1350 cm-1. This band is
Combined with the G-band, this spectrum is known as the D band.
a Raman signature of graphitic sp2 The D band originates from
materials and is called 2D(G*)-band. 2D- a hybridized vibrational
band is a second-order two-phonon process mode associated with
and exhibits a strong frequency dependence graphene edges and it
on the excitation laser energy. indicates the presence of
some disorder to the
graphene structure

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 Cont’d
8 Nuclear magnetic resonance:
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analyzes the magnetic
properties of certain atomic nuclei to determine different electronic local
environments of hydrogen, carbon, or other atoms in an organic
compound or other compound. This is used to help determine the
structure of the compound.

NMR spectrum of fullerene C60

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9 Photo thermal spectroscopy:
It is a group of high sensitivity spectroscopy techniques used to measure
optical absorption and thermal characteristics of a sample. The basis of
photo-thermal spectroscopy is the change in thermal state of the sample
resulting from the absorption of radiation. Light absorbed and not lost by
emission results in heating. The heat raises temperature thereby
influencing the sample thermodynamic properties. Measurement of the
temperature, pressure, and/or density changes that occur due to optical
absorption are ultimately the basis for the photo-thermal spectroscopic
measurements.

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