Spectroscopy-03-01-2017

The Raman spectra of crystalline and amorphous solids of the same chemical composition can be significantly different primarily because of the presence or absence of spatial order and long range translational symmetry, respectively. The purpose or goal of this installment of Molecular Spectroscopy Workbench is to help readers understand the underlying physics that affect the Raman spectra of crystalline and amorphous solids. Wave vector, reciprocal space, and the Brillouin zone are explained with respect to Raman spectroscopy of solids.

Analytical spectroscopy is a mature field, but advances in instrumentation, measurement, and sample preparation techniques continue to be made. Much recent development has seen a heavy emphasis towards techniques and instrumentation that allow for non-invasive, in-situ, and in-vivo procedures while still retaining a high degree of sensitivity. This article will review some of this progress over the past two to three years across five major spectroscopic fields: Raman, LIBS, XRF, IR, and ICP techniques.

The National Nanotechnology Initiative defines engineered nanomaterials (ENM) as those with dimensions of 1–100 nm, where their unique characteristics enable novel applications to be carried out. ENMs often possess different properties than their bulk counterparts of the same composition, making them of great interest for a broad spectrum of industrial, commercial, and health care uses. However, the widespread application of ENMs will inevitably lead to their release into the environment, which raises concerns about their potential adverse effects on the ecosystems and their impact on human health.

Analysis of Spectroscopy’s annual reader survey on salary, workload, job satisfaction, and the job market in general. The latest Spectroscopy salary survey shows that the average salary has increased slightly but is this a cause for celebration or is stagnation still rampant?

Click the title above to open the Spectroscopy March 2017 regular issue, Vol 32 No 3, in an interactive PDF format.