Mirror transformation

A modern spectrophotometer (UV/VIS, NIR, mid-IR) consists of a number of essential components source optical bench (mirror, filter, grating, Fourier transform, diode array, IRED, AOTF) sample holder detector (PDA, CCD) amplifier computer control. Important experimental parameters are the optical resolution (the minimum difference in wavelength that can be separated by the spectrometer) and the width of the light beam entering the spectrometer (the fixed entrance slit or fibre core). Modern echelle spectral analysers record simultaneously from UV to NIR. 

In solvent-elimination LC-FTIR, basically three types of substrates and corresponding IR modes can be discerned, namely, powder substrates for diffuse reflectance (DRIFT) detection, metallic mirrors for reflection-absorption (R-A) spectrometry, and IR-transparent windows for transmission measurements [500]. The most favourable solvent-elimination LC-FTIR results have been obtained with IR-transparent deposition substrates that allow straightforward transmission measurements. Analyte morphology and/or transformation should always be taken into consideration during the interpretation of spectra obtained by solvent-elimination LC-FTIR. Dependent on the type of substrate and/or size of the deposited spots, often special optics such as a (diffuse) reflectance unit, a beam condenser or an FITR microscope are used to scan the deposited substances (typical diameter of the FITR beam, 20 pm). 

If we now consider a planar molecule like BF3 (D3f, symmetry), the z-axis is defined as the C3 axis. One of the B-F bonds lies along the x-axis as shown in Figure 5.9. The symmetry elements present for this molecule include the C3 axis, three C2 axes (coincident with the B-F bonds and perpendicular to the C3 axis), three mirror planes each containing a C2 axis and the C3 axis, and the identity. Thus, there are 12 symmetry operations that can be performed with this molecule. It can be shown that the px and py orbitals both transform as E and the pz orbital transforms as A, ". The s orbital is A/ (the prime indicating symmetry with respect to ah). Similarly, we could find that the fluorine pz orbitals are Av Ev and E1. The qualitative molecular orbital diagram can then be constructed as shown in Figure 5.10. 

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