Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful tool for determining the absolute configuration (AC) of chiral compounds. A critical factor in ensuring reliable AC assignments is the agreement between experimentally observed and theoretically calculated spectra. To address challenges in quantifying this agreement—particularly for complex enantiomers and diastereomers—we developed a spectral similarity index, Sv, designed to replace subjective human visual comparisons with an objective metric.  

This free web tool provides calculated Sv values and an overlaid spectral plot for VCD researchers. For a 95% confidence level in AC determination, we recommend a minimum |Sv| of 0.2. If this Sv threshold is not met, we recommend considering additional calculations for other conformers or repeating VCD experiments.