With Raman spectroscopy, scientists can measure, with an impressive degree of precision, the concentration levels and other traits of matter in any phase (gas, liquid or solid). Its potential uses have shown an increasing amount of potential in a growing number of industries.
Understanding Raman Spectroscopy
High-sensitivity Raman measurement devices gather data about elements at the molecular scale. Typically, a laser is focused upon the subject material. The laser beam will scatter uniquely in accordance with the material it hits. Observing the scatter enables technicians to identify the substance or substances being observed, their level of density, and other traits. The technique -- which is actually a collection of slightly varying measurement strategies -- is so called because of the Raman effect, which is where electromagnetic waves hit a molecule and affect its bonds. To start out with, a coherent wave of light is applied, making it easier to interpret the end result.
Applications
TouchRaman spectroscopy is most often utilized in chemistry because it gets its data from reacting to chemical bonds. However, its applicability is wide-ranging. In the pharmaceutical field, specialized instruments like TouchRaman probes are utilized to identify active components in drugs, and which form those ingredients have at the molecular scale. TouchRaman devices like these can also be invaluable in physics to determine the molecular state of materials, as well as measure their temperature. Some TouchRaman probes are even able to collect information regarding caustic materials that would ordinarily do damage to the measuring device.
Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy
Another type of Raman spectroscopy, known as "spatially offset Raman spectroscopy," is capable of "seeing" past surface layers and can be used to, for example, positively identify counterfeit drugs without disturbing their containing packages. They can also be used to monitor biological tissue, like an ultrasound. Experiments are in the making to determine whether different TouchRaman and similar probes can be used to identify the presence of explosive substances at a distance, and even to check whether individual living cells are cancerous, potentially making surgery substantially less risky and more precise, boosting favorable prognoses considerably.
Microspectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy can be employed to look at polymers, proteins, and forensics evidence on a microscopic level. It can even be used to analyze the level of cholesterol or other substances in foodstuffs.
Customization
While manufacturers such as raman probes for oil companies sometimes sell premade TouchRaman and similar devices to pharmaceutical, academic and government laboratories, those manufacturers can also customize and build tools perfectly attuned to the measurement and observation requirements of the purchaser.