PREPARING YOUR SAMPLE
	Help! I don't know anything about my sample!
	You may know more than you think. Where did the sample come from? If you prepared it yourself, you should have some idea of the chemistry involved. Even if you are not sure of the exact structure, can you at least put it into a general class of compound? Ask yourself:
		•	Is it aliphatic, olefinic, or aromatic?
		•	Is it halogenated?
		•	Is it likely to contain any elements other than carbon, hydrogen, or a halogen? Such elements might include oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus. or silicon?
		•	Is it likely to have any functional groups, such as hydroxyls, carbonyls, or amines?
		•	Do you have enough to record an infrared spectrum? Even if a definitive identification can't be made, this may provide some clues that enable you to answer some of the questions above.
		•	Do you have enough material to do some solubility tests? Check a variety of solvents to see which ones dissolve your sample. For example, you might try chloroform, benzene, acetone, methanol, and water.