ReactIR | FTIR Spectrometers

In-Situ FTIR Spectroscopy Equipment for Stable, Scalable, Consistent Process Development

Versatile FTIR Spectroscopy

Is FTIR or Raman better for my application?

Raman and FTIR spectroscopy offer molecular information about the structure and composition of chemical and biological samples. Because of the fundamental principles that govern each technology, both can yield complementary information. However, frequently one technology is a better choice, depending on the nature of the application.

Learn more about Raman vs. FTIR Spectroscopy.

What are FTIR spectrometers used for?

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers are used in both industry and academic laboratories to better understand the molecular structure of materials as well as the kinetics, mechanisms, and pathways in chemical reactions and catalytic cycles. FTIR spectroscopy helps in understanding the structure of individual molecules and the composition of molecular mixtures. FTIR spectroscopy has broad use and applicability in the analysis of molecules important in the pharmaceutical, chemical and polymer industries.

Learn more about FTIR spectroscopy.

What is FTIR spectroscopy?

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) is a type of infrared (IR) spectroscopy that has been in existence for several decades now as a valuable tool to interrogate samples of unknown composition. FTIR is one of the most heavily used optical spectroscopy techniques by scientists in academia, government, and the industrial sector. Infrared spectroscopy takes advantage of the fact that atom-to-atom bonds vibrate at specific frequencies.

When energy, comprised of multiple frequencies (such as that from an infrared source), is introduced to these molecular vibrations, an absorption of that infrared energy occurs at that same molecular vibrational frequency. Plotting the intensity of the absorbance across a range of frequencies, yields an infrared spectrum. Furthermore, bonds of different types (e.g., double, triple) and different atoms (e.g, C–O, C–H, C–N, etc.) each have specific vibrational frequencies.

The specificity of these vibrational frequencies can be thought of as a fingerprint of the atom-to-atom bonds that make up a given molecule. This fingerprint then makes it possible to identify molecules or compounds in a mixture and likewise can detect the making and breaking of chemical bonds that occur in a reaction.

Learn more about FTIR spectroscopy.

What is the difference between IR and FTIR?

FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) is a type of IR (Infrared) spectroscopy, that allows scientists to probe the vibrations of molecules. Infrared Spectroscopy was traditionally a dispersive technique, making use of technology such as a monochromator to scan across the wavelengths of the infrared spectrum. With FTIR, all the wavelengths of light are measured at the same time, using an interferometer. The infrared spectrum is then obtained through a mathematical transformation called a Fourier transform. As all the wavelengths are measured simultaneously, FTIR can collect spectra much faster than scanning techniques.

Learn more about FTIR spectroscopy.

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In-situ FTIR Spectroscopy in Journal Publications

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FTIR Spectrometers in Journal Publications

Continuous measurements from infrared spectrometers are used for obtaining reaction profiles to calculate reaction rates. A list of publications from peer-reviewed journals focuses on exciting and novel applications of FTIR spectroscopy. Researchers in both academia and industry employ in-situ mid-FTIR spectrometers to provide comprehensive information and rich experimental data to advance their research.

  • Liu, J., Sato, Y., Yang, F., Kukor, A. J., & Hein, J. E. (2022). An Adaptive Auto‐Synthesizer using Online PAT Feedback to Flexibly Perform a Multistep Reaction. Chemistry–Methods, 2(8). doi.org/10.1002/cmtd.202200009
  • Malig, T. C., Kumar, A., & Kurita, K. L. (2022). Online and In Situ Monitoring of the Exchange, Transmetalation, and Cross-Coupling of a Negishi Reaction. Organic Process Research & Development, 26(5), 1514–1519. doi: org/10.1021/acs.oprd.2c00081
  • Naserifar, S., Kuijpers, P. F., Wojno, S., Kádár, R., Bernin, D., & Hasani, M. (2022). In situ monitoring of cellulose etherification in solution: probing the impact of solvent composition on the synthesis of 3-allyloxy-2-hydroxypropyl-cellulose in aqueous hydroxide systems. Polymer Chemistry, 13(28), 4111–4123. doi.org/10.1039/d2py00231k
  • Talicska, C. N., O’Connell, E. C., Ward, H. W., Diaz, A. R., Hardink, M. A., Foley, D. A., Connolly, D., Girard, K. P., & Ljubicic, T. (2022). Process analytical technology (PAT): applications to flow processes for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) development. Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, 7(6), 1419–1428. doi.org/10.1039/d2re00004k 
  • Wei, B., Sharland, J. C., Blackmond, D. G., Musaev, D. G., & Davies, H. M. L. (2022). In Situ Kinetic Studies of Rh(II)-Catalyzed C–H Functionalization to Achieve High Catalyst Turnover Numbers. ACS Catalysis, 12(21), 13400–13410. doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.2c04115
  • Foth, P. J., Malig, T. C., Yu, H., Bolduc, T. G., Hein, J. E., & Sammis, G. M. (2020). Halide-Accelerated Acyl Fluoride Formation Using Sulfuryl Fluoride. Organic Letters, 22(16), 6682–6686. doi.org/10.1021/acs.orglett.0c02566
  • Hu, C., Shores, B. T., Derech, R. A., Testa, C. J., Hermant, P., Wu, W., Shvedova, K., Ramnath, A., Al Ismaili, L. Q., Su, Q., Sayin, R., Born, S. C., Takizawa, B., O’Connor, T. F., Yang, X., Ramanujam, S., & Mascia, S. (2020). Continuous reactive crystallization of an API in PFR-CSTR cascade with in-line PATs. Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, 5(10), 1950–1962. doi.org/10.1039/d0re00216j