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Raman Spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy takes advantage of the Raman effect to study low-frequency modes in a system like vibration and rotation. The Raman effect is the scattering of a photon due to a specific disturbance (for example, in a gas, Raman scattering happens when molecular vibrational, rotational, or electronic energy changes). Most of the photons scattered have the same frequency and wavelength as incident photons; but about 1 in 107 are scattered at frequencies that are different, generally lower.

In Raman spectroscopy, a laser beam shines on the sample, and the resulting light focused and put through a monochromator. Wavelengths close to the original laser are eliminated, and those in a specific spectral window dispersed to a detector. Holographic diffraction gratings and multiple dispersion stages create a higher degree of laser rejection. At the end, a photon-counting photomultiplier tube or CCD camera detects the scattered light

The three main advantages of Raman spectroscopy over other types of spectroscopy are that you don't have to pretreat your samples; Raman spectroscopy is not interfered with by water, and samples are not destroyed in the process. It also gives near-instantaneous results. This makes it very valuable when examining biological samples.

Raman spectroscopy is often used in chemistry to identify substances or to study changes in chemical bonding, such as when a substrate is added to an enzyme. A major application is in medicine for real-time monitoring of anesthesia and physical signs.

Web Resources On Raman Spectroscopy

Raman Tutorial
A Brief Introduction to Raman Spectroscopy

Book Resources On Raman Spectroscopy

Handbook of Raman Spectroscopy by Lewis & Edwards (Editors)
Modern Techniques in Raman Spectroscopy by J. J. Laserna (Editor)

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