Welcome to an introduction to spectroscopy. This page provides links to four different pages which explain a major spectroscopic method in the context of determining the structure of an unknown compound. These pages contain examples of spectra. I urge you not only to view these spectra as useful documents describing a compound and its structure, but also to view them from an artistic viewpoint.
Spectroscopy is more than obtaining data.
It is a complex area of study which, in the heat of its pursuit, can oftentimes make you feel like you are running in circles. In producing a spectrum, the spectroscopist, or artist, becomes intimately involved in the manifestation of a chemical's physical properties in a visible form. So, please enjoy, and take time to appreciate theses images as the art created from the interaction of man, machine, and molecule. The four spectroscopy pages listed below contain a short explanation of the type of spectroscopy indicated and provide links to sites with more information. There is also a page of spectra linked on each site.