MCAT Question A Day - 4/5/13 - Answer!
Infrared spectroscopy can generally be used to distinguish between
A. alcohols and ketones.
B. enantiomers.
C. cis-trans isomers.
D. conformers.
The correct answer is (A). The infrared spectrum of an organic molecule gives the most
information about its structure. Each functional group generally has a range of characteristic
absorption frequencies: Carbonyl bonds in aldehydes and ketones absorb at about 1700 cm-1,
while —OH groups absorb at much higher energies of approximately 3300 cm-1.
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