For the first time, synchrotron radiation based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy using a grazing angle objective has been performed on a chromate conversion coating ͑CCC͒ formed on an aluminum alloy. Synchrotron radiation ͑SR͒ based grazing angle infrared spectroscopy ͑GAIRS͒ has been compared with the most commonly performed near-normal reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy ͑RAIRS͒. Our results indicate that the use of grazing angle incidence increases the sensitivity to the surface species. The SR-GAIRS technique was observed to have nearly an order of magnitude higher sensitivity to chromate compared to the SR-RAIRS technique. Significant amounts of the Cr-O bonds associated with the hexavalent chromium seem to be oriented in a direction normal to the surface. Thickness of the CCC was calculated using theoretical expressions. Calculated thickness agrees with reported values, thereby validating the use of SR-GAIRS as a tool for rapid, nondestructive thickness measurements. Hence, synchrotron radiation based grazing angle infrared spectroscopy can prove to be a highly effective tool to study the local chemistry on surfaces under ambient conditions. Dichromate based solutions have been used as corrosion inhibitors on aluminum since the beginning of the last century. 1-4 Since then, the mechanism of protection offered by chromate-based solutions has been under investigation. Toxicity and mutagenic effects of hexavalent chromium have stimulated the development of alternative coatings, 5-7 the success of which depends on understanding precisely the underlying mechanism of protection offered by hexavalent chromium. A variety of surface analytical tools have been utilized to study the interaction of chromates with aluminum, including Auger electron spectroscopy ͑AES͒, 8,9 X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy ͑XPS͒, 8,10-14 Fourier transform infrared ͑FTIR͒ spectroscopy, [15][16][17][18][19] Raman microscopy, 18,20,21 UV-visible spectroscopy, 22 ellipsometry, 23 atomic force microscopy, 24,25 transmission electron microscopy, 25-27 Rutherford back scattering, 8 secondary ion mass spectroscopy ͑SIMS͒, 28 X-ray absorption spectroscopy ͑XAS͒, 17,29 and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy ͑XANES͒. 17,[30][31][32][33] Infrared spectroscopy has gained prominence due to its ability to determine the chemical nature, and in some cases, the geometry of adsorbates on surfaces. Infrared microspectroscopy is a nondestructive technique that allows chemical analysis of materials at a lateral resolution of few microns. This feature combined with stability of chromate conversion coatings ͑CCCs͒ under these experimental conditions have resulted in numerous studies. [15][16][17][18][19]23 The ability of FTIR spectroscopy to be operated in various modes makes it a very attractive analytical technique. However, only reflection-absorption and transmission modes are routinely employed to study thin films and coatings. The grazing angle objective ͑GAO͒ provides infrared radiation at grazing incidence ͑65°-85°͒, which enhances the...