Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy

Peter R. Griffiths, a pioneering figure in Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy who authored or coauthored more than 300 scientific papers and numerous books over five decades, died August 29, 2026, at age 84. This tribute traces his career from Oxford and Digilab through Ohio University and the University of Idaho, his landmark books and the Handbook of Vibrational Spectroscopy, and his many honors, including the 2023 Ellis R. Lippincott Award and 2024 Optica Fellowship.

A recent review article examines how AI-assisted spectroscopic tools are propelling forensic trace evidence analysis forward.

This curated selection of articles highlights recent advancements in microplastics and nanoplastics and soil analysis.

A handheld infrared (IR) scanner paired with an artificial neural network (ANN) can identify human versus animal bone with over 96% accuracy.

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, a technique built on a scanning mirror invented before the moon landing, is quietly being rebuilt from the ground up. Light combs, photothermal probes, and chip-scale photonics are pushing infrared analysis past resolution and speed limits that stood for six decades.

A forensic case study using FT-IR, portable Raman spectroscopy, and SEM-EDS to differentiate three-layer automotive coatings from a hit-and-run accident, demonstrating that combining complementary spectroscopic and elemental techniques improves the accuracy of paint evidence identification.

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, paired with statistical modeling, can non-destructively distinguish human, dog, and cat bloodstains on sand and soil, offering a preliminary proof-of-concept for field-deployable forensic screening tools.

The following articles are the most accessed digital object identifier (DOI) manuscripts for Spectroscopy and LCGC International during the month of July 2026. Nine articles are ranked here by DOI page views; a tenth entry in the July report (135 views) was recorded against the bare journal-level DOI rather than an individual article and is therefore not attributable to a single manuscript.

An upcoming poster presentation set to take place at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2026 Meeting will explore how spectroscopy is being used to distinguish different roasted coffee types.

Top articles published this week include a preview of an upcoming presentation at the American Chemical Society (ACS) 2026 Fall Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

Webinar Date/Time: Tue, Sep 8, 2026 2:00 PM CEST (8:00 AM EDT)

For 170 years, spectroscopists have built quantitative analysis on only one number pulled from every spectrum they ever recorded, discarding its inseparable twin. New dispersion-theory and complex-valued chemometric methods recover that missing half, the refractive index, and in favorable systems cut calibration error by as much as an order of magnitude.

Nearly every diabetic on earth still stabs a finger to measure their blood sugar, but a small army of lasers, infrared beams, and machine-learning algorithms is quietly plotting to end that ritual for good. This review tracks the photons chasing glucose through skin, from near-infrared reflectance to Raman fingerprints, and asks why the “needle-free” promise keeps slipping just out of reach.

Spectrometers that once filled an entire lab bench now fit in a coat pocket, and they are quietly reshaping how fentanyl gets identified on a roadside, how counterfeit cashmere gets caught on a loading dock, and how a five-hundred-year-old painting gets authenticated without ever leaving the wall. This review tracks five years of coverage from Spectroscopy alongside the broader literature to show how handheld Raman, FT-IR, NIR, and XRF instruments moved from laboratory novelty to field necessity.

This study used molecular spectroscopic techniques to characterize fibers found at a crime scene and those from the suspects.

A plain-language glossary of 40 spectroscopic and elemental analytical methods—FTIR, Raman, ICP-MS, XRF, atomic absorption, and more—with verified references for lab professionals, students, and instrument buyers.

A rule proposed by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) would give political appointees final authority over discretionary grant decisions ahead of peer reviewers, allow agencies to terminate active grants without a formal right of appeal, and restrict international collaboration and publication funding across federal science agencies. For the optical, molecular, vibrational, and atomic spectroscopy community, the proposal could affect the grants, journal support, and student and postdoctoral positions that sustain the field.

This study synthesized and characterized α-lactalbumin-infused nickel hydroxide nanoparticles, demonstrating successful incorporation of the protein into the nanoparticle structure and highlighting their potential for future biomedical and other advanced applications.

In this column, we will introduce the spectra of tri-, tetra-, and penta-substituted benzene rings.

The following articles are the 10 most accessed digital object identifier (DOI) manuscripts for Spectroscopy and LCGC International during the month of June 2026.

This paper demonstrates the use of optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy for the detection, identification, and localization of microplastics in tissue samples.

A continuation of our conversation with Janam Pandya, Product Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific, provides insight into how the global market for Raman, infrared (IR), and mid-infrared (MIR) instruments is set to evolve over the next five years.

This review highlights major advances in infrared (IR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy from 2022–2026, including instrument miniaturization, hyperspectral imaging, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. These developments are expanding the use of vibrational spectroscopy beyond the laboratory into portable and field-deployable analytical systems. Environmental applications such as microplastic detection, biosolids analysis, soil characterization, and contaminant monitoring are emerging as key growth areas.

A comprehensive introduction to LIBs coverage published in Spectroscopy Online from 2022–2025.

The following articles are the 10 most accessed digital object identifier (DOI) manuscripts for Spectroscopy and LCGC International during the month of May 2026.