THEORY

The advantages of derivative spectroscopy as an analytical tool have been known since the 1950s. Before the availability of the personal computer, generating derivative spectra electronically was complex and difficult, and for this reason the technique was rarely used. The introduction of microcomputers in the late 1970s simplified the generation of digital spectra and the associated mathematical manipulations required to produce first- and higher-order derivatives. This significantly increased the use of the derivative technique.