The spectra were measured with a Thermo Scientific FT-IR spectrometer configured for mid-infrared transmission sampling. All of the samples were run as KBr pellets or mulls. The spectra were collected at 4 cm^-1 spectral resolution. Baseline and other corrections were applied to the library spectra as needed.

While infrared spectroscopy is a well-known and respected technique for the analysis of organic compounds, applications with inorganic materials have been limited. This is due mainly to the weak vibrational response of many inorganic substances. However, this library demonstrates that infrared spectroscopy can be applied to a wide range of inorganic materials with impressive results.

The compounds in this library are divided into the following subgroups: minerals, boron compounds, commercial materials, indicators and dyes, and other inorganic materials. Additional information about each substance, such as the compound name, molecular formula, composition, color, and location (occurrence), is available on-line.