Raman Spectroscopy
Raman Spectroscopy
Shimadzu Scientific Instrument's AIRsight™ Infrared/Raman Microscope provides a two-in-one solution for molecular analysis. This unique system is equipped with a Raman unit available on Shimadzu’s AIMsight infrared microscope and compatible with the IRTracer-100 and IRXross Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers. The AIRsight Infrared/Raman Microscope is equipped with a standard extensive selection of libraries, including proprietary Shimadzu libraries and libraries for substances ranging from typical reagents to macromolecules. Optional software, accessories and libraries are also available.
What is Raman Spectroscopy
- Non-destructive technique used to identify and characterize materials
- Acquired by irradiating a sample with a laser and measuring the scattered radiation
- The wavelengths of scattered light depend on the chemical structure of the sample and reveal a chemical “fingerprint”
- Complementary to IR spectroscopy
How Raman Spectroscopy Works
- Nearly monochromatic laser source is directed onto the sample
- During irradiation, a sample scatters light
- Majority of scattered radiation is elastically scattered at the same energy as the laser (Rayleigh scattering), which does not provide any chemical information
- A fraction of radiation is inelastically scattered at characteristic energy shifts from the incoming laser (Raman scattering), which corresponds to the molecular vibration modes of the sample
- Raman spectrometer measures the inelastically scattered light, converts it into energy shifts (Raman shifts), and plots it as a spectrum
- Resulting spectrum displays the sample’s vibrational modes and used to identify the sample from its chemical fingerprint
Why Raman Spectroscopy Is Useful
- Little to no sample preparation is required in most cases
- Fast and accurate results, often in seconds or minutes
- Raman microscopes can analyze microscopic areas and detect trace materials
- Ideal for identifying unknown substances, quality control, and detecting microscopic samples
Raman vs IR
Explore the difference between IR and Raman - Learn more
