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In many sub-disciplines of chemistry, spectra is extremely important. Sample spectra are usually obtained after completing some type of experiment (NMR, IR, UV-vis, MS, Raman, etc.). In order for scientists to verify they have manufactured or tested the correct sample, they must compare their spectra to a known spectra.
Why do we use spectra? Each compound produces a unique spectra so no matter how similar two compounds might be, their spectra will differentiate them.
Unfortunately, finding reputable and trustworthy spectra is not as easy as going to Google. Scientists and chemists across the world turn to several particular sources to find spectra. Each source is chosen based on the type of spectra needed.
For example, you should not use SDBS (Spectral Database for Organic Compounds) to find a substance with metal centers or other inorganic properties. Crystallography structures using x-rays are one of the hardest spectras to find online. Many are still only available in books that can be found in the Science and Engineering Library's Reference collection. Therefore it is important to know the strength of each resource/database and which one is best suited for your needs.
You will be using two databases to answer questions for this section. Refer to your assignment for additional instructions.