Chemistry A-Level
fingerprint region
What fingerprint region means in Chemistry A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of fingerprint region
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Reference: AQA
Below about 1500 cm⁻¹ an infrared spectrum becomes a dense pattern of overlapping absorptions produced by bending and by vibrations of the whole carbon skeleton.
Topics that use fingerprint region
- Infrared spectroscopy (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- absence as evidence
- below 1500 cm⁻¹
- bond vibration
- broad O–H shapes
- C=O near 1700 cm⁻¹
- characteristic wavenumbers
- comparison with a database
- units of cm⁻¹
Using fingerprint region in the exam
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