Advancements in Raman Speciroscopy Find Real-World Uses in the Life Sciences

摘要

Since its development in the mid- 1920s, Raman spectroscopy has been used to study various low- frequency vibrational modes in molecular systems. In contrast to its counterpart - Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which probes asymmetric molecular stretches and changes in dipole moment through absorption of radiation - Raman spectroscopy probes symmetrical stretches and changes in polarizability of a molecule via inelastic scattering of radiation. Variants now include resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS).