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Beyond what value are peaks on an IR spectra uninformative?

User Jonathan
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Final answer:

In IR spectroscopy, uninformative peaks are usually found above 3000 cm¹, as they correspond to common bond vibrations present in most organic molecules and do not offer distinctive information about the molecule's structure.

Step-by-step explanation:

In infrared (IR) spectroscopy, peaks below a certain value are generally considered to be uninformative. This is because most organic molecules tend to show absorbance in the high-frequency region due to common bond vibrations. For instance, the jagged peak at approximately 2900-3000 cm¹ indicates tetrahedral carbon-hydrogen bonds, which is present in almost all organic molecules. Therefore, peaks observed in this region often do not contribute meaningful information for identifying or differentiating molecules, serving more as a familiar reference point in the spectrum. On the other hand, the fingerprint region (400-1400 cm¹) contains a unique pattern of peaks for each molecule, providing valuable information for the identification of unknown samples by comparison to known standards.

User Domkck
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