The neural network as a tool for multispectral interpretation

A neural network which utilized data from the infrared spectra, carbon-13 NMR spectra, and molecular formulas of organic compounds was developed. The network, which had one layer of hidden units, was trained by backpropagation; network parameters were determined by a simplex optimization procedure. A database of 1560 compounds was used for training and testing. The trained network was able to identify with high accuracy the presence of a broad range of substructural features present in the compounds. The number of features identified and the accuracy were significantly greater as compared with networks using data from a single form of spectroscopy. The results have significance for the SESAMI computer-enhanced structure elucidation system.