Application of Raman Spectroscopy in Science (2023)

Raman Spectroscopy (RS) and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) are highly sensitive techniques used to identify a variety of chemical compounds, including drugs, polymers, fibers, minerals, and gemstones. They have broad applications in various fields such as chemistry, biology, medicine, pharmacology, and forensic science. These techniques, along with infra-red spectroscopy (IR), are crucial for identifying functional groups, conformation, and vibrational transitions in organic compounds and biomolecules. The RS and SERS techniques are based on the Raman effect, where the incident light beam undergoes partial energy loss or gain due to the absorption or emission of functional groups of analyte molecules during inelastic light scattering. The photon energy loss or gain is detected and analyzed. This paper will cover the fundamentals of Raman spectroscopy and SERS, and provide examples of their applications in biological, chemical, and forensic science.