'Instantaneous' Presentation of Infra-Red Spectra on a Cathode Ray Screen

Abstract

MANY of the recent advances in the application of infra-red spectroscopy to problems of molecular structure have been due to the greatly increased speed with which such spectra can be recorded. This makes it possible for the spectra of large numbers of compounds of known constitution to be compared, and so characteristic spectroscopic features of certain groupings can be established. While several spectrometers have been developed for recording an absorption spectrum (under moderately high resolving power) between 2 u and 15 u in a time of the order of half an hour, only one attempt1 appears to have been made to obtain ultra high-speed presentation of spectra on a cathode ray screen. Yet the advantages of such a method are very great, the most obvious, perhaps, being the possibility which is thus opened up of studying rapidly changing spectra, such as those encountered in chemical kinetics, in changes of physical state and in emission from transitory flames.