The development of an on-line SFC-FTIR method with supercritical carbon dioxide as mobile phase requires information about the nature of the FTIR spectrum of a solute dissolved in supercritical or liquid CO2. The wavenumber of maximum absorbance of the carbonyl stretching vibration was quantitatively studied versus temperature and CO2 density. FTIR spectra recorded in supercritical or liquid CO2 have been compared to their vapor-phase and condensed-phase spectra for various solutes.