How do you set up an experiment to measure infrared absorption?

To measure infrared absorption, set up an infrared source, a sample, and an infrared detector.

First, you need an infrared source, which could be an infrared lamp or an LED that emits infrared radiation. This source will produce the infrared light that will pass through the sample you want to study.

Next, place the sample between the infrared source and the detector. The sample could be a gas, liquid, or solid, depending on what you are investigating. Make sure the sample is held in a way that the infrared light can pass through it easily. For gases, you might use a gas cell; for liquids, a cuvette; and for solids, a thin film or a pellet.

Then, position the infrared detector on the other side of the sample. The detector could be a thermopile, a photodiode, or any other device sensitive to infrared radiation. This detector will measure the amount of infrared light that passes through the sample.

To ensure accurate measurements, you should also have a control setup where the infrared light passes through the same path but without the sample. This will help you determine the baseline level of infrared light.

Once everything is set up, turn on the infrared source and record the detector's readings with and without the sample in place. The difference in these readings will give you the amount of infrared light absorbed by the sample.

Finally, you can analyse the data to determine the absorption characteristics of the sample. This might involve plotting the absorption against different wavelengths of infrared light if your source and detector can handle multiple wavelengths. This setup will help you understand how different materials absorb infrared radiation, which is useful in many scientific and industrial applications.