Answer to Question #233668 in Physical Chemistry for Peter Fletcher

Question

Consider the molecule D-glucose, the base molecule in cellulose.

Calculate the total number of vibrational modes

Answer 1

The total number of vibrational modes in a molecule is 3N-5 for a linear molecule and 3N-6 for nonlinear molecules. Glucose is a linear molecule, so the total number of vibrational modes is:

$Z = 3 \times 6 - 5 = 13$

Answer:

Z = 13