October 18th 2024
The study developed an effective mid-infrared spectroscopic identification model, combining principal component analysis (PCA) and support vector machine (SVM), to accurately determine the geographical origin of five types of millet with a recognition accuracy of up to 99.2% for the training set and 98.3% for the prediction set.
September 11th 2024
Pump–Probe Microscopy: Theory, Instrumentation, and Applications
April 1st 2017Excited state dynamics provides an intrinsic molecular contrast of samples examined. These dynamics can be monitored by pump probe spectroscopy which measures the change in transmission of a probe beam induced by a pump beam. With superior detection sensitivity, chemical specificity and spatial-temporal resolution, pump probe microscopy is an emerging tool for functional imaging of non-fluorescent chromophores and nanomaterials. This article reviews the basic principle, instrumentation strategy, data analysis methods, and applications of pump probe microscopy. A brief outlook is provided.
Recent Advances in Pharmaceutical Analysis Using Transmission Raman Spectroscopy
April 1st 2017This article reviews recent advances in the application of Transmission Raman Spectroscopy (TRS) to pharmaceutical analysis. The TRS technique overcomes subsampling limitations of conventional Raman spectroscopy and enables rapid non-invasive volumetric analysis of intact pharmaceutical tablets and capsules in a quantitative manner with relevance to quality and process control applications. Although only recently introduced to this area its uptake and the breadth of applications are rapidly growing with regulatory approvals for use of this technology in quality control of manufactured pharmaceutical products recently being granted.
Frontiers of Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopy in the Solid and Liquid States
February 1st 2017This article reviews the state-of-the-art of far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectroscopy of solid and liquid phases. FUV spectroscopy is rich in information about electronic structure and transitions of a molecule, but this region has been employed to investigate mainly for the electronic states and structure of gas molecules because the absorptivity is very high in the FUV region. To overcome this difficulty we have developed a totally new FUV spectrometer based on the attenuated total reflection (ATR) technique. ATR-FUV spectroscopy has paved a new avenue for condensed matter FUV spectroscopy. This article demonstrates that FUV holds considerable promise not only in basic science such as studies of electronic structure of molecules, hydrogen bonding, hydration, and adsorption of water and aqueous solutions, but also practical applications, such as on-line analysis, geochemical and environmental analyis, semiconductor research and surface analysis.
Protein Secondary Structure Determination Using Drop Coat Deposition Confocal Raman Spectroscopy
October 1st 2016The accurate determination of protein structure is integral to the medical and pharmaceutical communities’ ability to understand disease, and develop drugs. Current techniques (CD, IR, Raman) for protein structure prediction provide results that can be poorly resolved, while high resolution techniques (NMR, X-ray crystallography) can be both costly and time-consuming. This work proposes the use of drop coat deposition confocal Raman spectroscopy (DCDCR), coupled with peak fitting of the Amide I spectral region (1620–1720 cm-1) for the accurate determination of protein secondary structure. Studies conducted on BSA and ovalbumin show that the predictions of secondary structure content within 1% of representative crystal structure data is possible for model proteins. The results clearly demonstrate that DCDCR has the potential to be effectively used to obtain accurate secondary structure distributions for proteins.
Shedding New Light on Forensic Timelines
September 1st 2016The development of novel, nondestructive technologies for rapid analysis of evidence discovered at crime scenes is pertinent to our criminal justice system to solve the millions of violent crimes that occur each year. Without a witness, establishing the precise timeline of a crime is difficult. Therefore, technologies based on sensitive, nondestructive techniques are needed to evaluate evidence and create such a timeline. We propose the use of Raman spectroscopy to analyze the age of bloodstains for potential use as a forensics tool. Previous studies have revealed Raman spectroscopy is sensitive to changes in blood analyte concentration and different oxidative states of hemoglobin. Raman spectroscopy could allow for rapid comparison of spectra from blood stains of unknown age to spectra of known age with high temporal accuracy. Though further investigation into other substrates and biochemical components should be performed, our study reveals Raman spectroscopy has the potential to accurately and nondestructively determine the age of a bloodstain for use in criminal investigations.
Analysis of the Brill Transition and Reversible Brill Transition in Nylon 6,6 by Raman Spectroscopy
July 1st 2016This article verified the Brill transition in nylon 6,6 by Raman spectroscopy through heating and cooling processes of the sample. When nylon is heated at around 160 C a crystalline phase transition occurs from a triclinic structure at room temperature to a pseudohexagonal structure above that temperature. This phase transition is known as the Brill Transition. With temperature-dependent Raman scattering measurements, it was possible to determine the vibrational behavior of nylon 6,6 during the Brill transition, and consequently to identify the main Raman bands associated with the Brill transition.
Emerging Trends and Opportunities in Discrete-Frequency Infrared and Raman Spectroscopic Imaging
June 1st 2016Recent advances in instrumentation have enabled new forms of vibrational chemical imaging, including discrete frequency infrared (DFIR) microscopy and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy. These technologies may represent a fundamental shift in how we approach spectroscopic imaging: rather than collecting full spectra which contain redundant information, measuring a few important spectral frequencies may enable significant gains in speed, throughput, signal to noise ratio, and/or image quality. For infrared microscopy, these advantages may be compounded by High Definition IR microscopy. Here we discuss recent advances in infrared and nonlinear Raman imaging through the lens of 'discrete frequency' approaches, including several examples of applications and critical issues in instrumentation that are likely to be dominating research themes in the near future.
Preparation of Pharmaceutical Samples for Elemental Impurities Analysis: Some Potential Approaches
April 1st 2016The use of atomic spectroscopy techniques and sample preparation procedures is something that is not as routine in the pharmaceutical industry as are chromatography-based techniques and sample preparation procedures. With new requirements being implemented regarding elemental impurities by the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) and International Conference on Harmonization (ICH), analysts in the pharmaceutical industry are, in many cases, working to determine how best to analyze their samples. Sample preparation techniques that can be used for pharmaceutical samples are the same ones that have been used by other industries for many years. This paper will provide a brief overview of potential techniques.
Effect of Azimuthal Angle on Infrared Diffuse Reflection Spectra of Fabrics
Infrared spectroscopy is an appealing technique for application to forensic samples because it offers the benefits of being non-destructive and non-hazardous, fast, reasonably sensitive, and resistant to some of the interferences of many commonly used techniques. Our research team has been focusing on detecting biological fluids on fabrics, which are inherently anisotropic substrates for spectroscopy. The work presented here investigates the effect of azimuthal angle of the sample on the infrared diffuse reflection spectra of fabrics with a goal of removing sampling differences as a source of analytic variation.
Lineshapes in IR and Raman Spectroscopy: A Primer
November 1st 2015Infrared and Raman bands are typically described in terms of peak location and peak height. The shape of the peak-its form, width, and asymmetry-is less well understood. Bandshapes largely depend upon interactions between vibrating molecules and their environment. An understanding of this relationship may enhance spectral interpretation and can explain unexpected behaviors, in both qualitative and quantitative analyses. This paper presents basic concepts that influence line shapes and shows the complex lineshape changes in an apparently simple system of acetone and water.
VT-DRIFTS Investigations of Interactions Between Benzoic Acid and Montmorillonite Clay
October 1st 2015High stability Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) interferometers make it possible to conduct experiments designed to identify subtle sample structure changes resulting from external perturbations. In particular, IR spectrum measurements obtained while heating samples can be used to associate specific structure changes with incremental additions of thermal energy. This paper describes the application of variable temperature diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (VT-DRIFTS) for analysis of benzoic acid adsorbed on montmorillonite clay. The technique described here is generally applicable for soil adsorbate characterization studies, and therefore should be useful for elucidating soil transport mechanisms for selected contaminants.
Agricultural and Environmental Management with Raman Spectroscopy
September 1st 2015Raman spectroscopy is applied to quality control of agricultural products with greater frequency, and can also be used to refine regulatory criteria for both agricultural and environmental monitoring. It is now integrated into everything from hand held SERS detectors to unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor the gamut from genetic variation to soil and water content. Development opportunities, particularly with bundled technologies, continue to emerge as demand for quality assurance increases.
Application of SERS to the Determination of Butylated Hydroxyanisole in Edible and Essential Oils
July 1st 2015Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been applied to the determination of the antioxidant butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), commonly used in fatty foods and oils to prevent their oxidation. The use of SERS-Raman microscopy with an inexpensive homemade silver substrate allowed the direct determination of BHA in oils without any sample handling. Several edible and essential oils (used as flavorings) have been considered for this purpose.
A method for the multielemental determination of metals and nonmetals in goji berries (Lycium barbarum L.) by axially and radially viewed inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) is presented.
Sequentially Shifted Excitation Raman Spectroscopy
November 1st 2014A method for removing fluorescence-induced backgrounds from Raman spectra using sequentially shifted excitation (SSE) is described. The method uses a temperature-tuned, distributed Bragg reflector diode laser to produce the multiple excitation spectra required to implement the SSE algorithm. Examples applying the SSE method to analysis of motor oils and edible oils are given.
Macro ATR-FT-IR Spectroscopic Imaging of Dynamic Processes
October 1st 2014Macro attenuated total reflection FT-IR spectroscopic imaging is a powerful and underutilized tool. This article presents an overview of approaches and opportunities for using this method to study dynamic processes such as diffusion, sorption, crystallization, and dissolution.
How Trace Elemental Analysis Provides Important Insight into Wine Chemistry
September 1st 2014Examples are shown that highlight how elemental fingerprinting could provide valuable information about the geographical origin of a food or beverage as well as how different steps in the production of wines impact their elemental composition.
Rapid Determination of Trace Metals in Oil Using Handheld X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy
July 1st 2014Determination of trace metals in oil and petroleum typically is based on ICP-OES methods, requiring signficant sample preparation and expensive instrumentation. This article presents an alternative method, based on the use of a handheld energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analyzer, that involves minimal sample preparation, uses authentic standards for calibration, gives low parts-per-million detection limits, and provides significant time and cost savings.