The 1630-1800 cm-1 region can be used to distinguish between alcohols and carboxylic acids. true or false

True. The 1630-1800 cm-1 region in infrared spectroscopy is indeed useful for distinguishing between different functional groups such as alcohols and carboxylic acids. This is because different functional groups absorb infrared light at different frequencies. Specifically, the C=O stretch in carboxylic acids typically appears in the 1700-1725 cm-1 range, while the O-H stretch in alcohols appears in the broader 3200-3600 cm-1 range. However, the C-O stretch in alcohols can also appear in the 1000-1300 cm-1 range, which may overlap with the C=O stretch in carboxylic acids. Therefore, while the 1630-1800 cm-1 region can provide some information, it is often necessary to consider other regions of the spectrum as well to make a definitive identification.