Department of Chemistry

Analytical Spectroscopy Laboratory

Perkin Elmer IR Microscope

Return to ASL Home Page

Most chemists learned about Infrared Spectroscopy as undergraduates.  We learned to identify chemical bonds and functional groups by their characteristic IR frequencies, and how to deduce structural conformations when the mass spectrum couldn't.  These spectra were usually obtained with purified bulk samples, in gas phase, solution, nujol mulls, KBr pellets, etc.

The development of IR microscopes permits researchers to obtain the IR spectra of tiny areas, on the order of 10 micrometers diameter.  This allows the identification of tiny impurities.   

This instrument can also obtain the spectra over a 2 dimensional array of points, much like a CCD camera taking a picture.  This IR imaging can allow the mapping of the distribution of species in heterogeneous samples.

Click on picture to enlarge

The sample is mounted on a sample holder which is held in place on an XYZ stage.  The stage moves side to side, and front to back, to position the desired spot in the IR beam.  The Z motion is used to focus.  For the IR imaging operation, the stage is rastered in the XY plane.

Here is a close up picture of the XYZ stage.

The manufacturer's brochure shows examples of the spectra and IR images.  <Brochure - PDF>