
Raman
Spectroscopy*
17
Raman spectroscopy is the measurement, as a function of wavenumber, of the
inelastic
light scattering
that
results from the excitation of vibrations in molecular
and crystalline materials. The excitation source is a single line of a continuous gas
laser,
which permits optical microscope optics to be used for measurement of sam-
ples
down to a few mm. Raman spectroscopy is sensitive to molecular and crystal
structure; applications include chemical fingerprinting, examination of single
grains
in ceramics and rocks, single-crystal measurements, speciation of aqueous
solutions, identification of compounds in bubbles and flui ...