Operation of FTIR

Always handle the salt plates by the edges.

The on/off button for the FTIR is at the back and to the left of the instrument.

The computer is always on; just move the mouse to activate the screen.

Click on the “EZOMNIC” icon on the Desktop. It looks like multi-colored triangles.

Go to the “Collect” menu, then “Experiment Setup” Set the number of scans at 16 Set the resolution at 4 Set “Collect Background after 200 or 300 minutes” (we’ll presume the background won’t change much in the course of a lab session).

Go to the “Edit” menu, then “Options,” “View,” and “Number of Decimal Places” – type in 0

Click on “Collect Background” icon Click “OK” in popup window After spectrum is collected, when prompted “Add to Window 1?” Click “No”

Click on “Collect Sample” icon. Click “OK” twice in popup windows for default spectrum title. The background will automatically be subtracted from your sample’s spectrum. After sample spectrum has run, “data collection has stopped,” click “yes” for add to Window 1.

If there is a large peak at the right side of your spectrum, it is not due to your sample. It is an artifact of the salt plates. Move the cursor to a position just to the right of the Y-axis and just below the top of the Y-axis. Click and drag the cursor to draw a box around peaks of interest – not the large peak on the right side of the spectrum. Then release the mouse button and click inside the box. Click on “View” and “Full Scale” Click on “Replace” (top right of screen beside spectrum name).

To find peak wavenumbers, EITHER: click on the “Find Peaks” icon Move the cursor higher on the spectrum to observe the smaller peaks. Click on “Replace” (top right of screen beside spectrum name). OR Use “T” in menu at bottom to get peak wavenumber (click at the peak for the wavenumber to appear by the peak or click and drag from the peak to where you want the wavenumber displayed).

Clear (Menu at top) – will save your same background while removing the sample spectrum.

Wear gloves when handling salt plates. Clean the salt plates with dichloromethane (DCM) (CH2Cl2). Rubbing the salt plate on a DCM-wet Kimwipe is a safe way to do this and return them to the stockroom.