The spectra of simple alkanes are characterized by absorptions due to C–H stretching and bending (the C–C stretching and bending bands are either too weak or of too low a frequency to be detected in IR spectroscopy). In simple alkanes, which have very few bands, each band in the spectrum can be assigned.
The IR spectrum of octane is shown below. Note the strong bands in the 3000-2850 cm-1 region due to C-H stretch. The C-H scissoring (1470), methyl rock (1383), and long-chain methyl rock (728) are noted on this spectrum. Since most organic compounds have these features, these C-H vibrations are usually not noted when interpreting a routine IR spectrum.
The region from about 1300-900 cm-1 is called the fingerprint region. The bands in this region originate in interacting vibrational modes resulting in a complex absorption pattern. Usually, this region is quite complex and often difficult to interpret; however, each organic compound has its own unique absorption pattern (or fingerprint) in this region and thus an IR spectrum be used to identify a compound by matching it with a sample of a known compound.