Low-resolution Raman spectroscopy: instrumentation and applications in chemical analysis

It is shown that low-resolution Raman spectroscopy (LRRS) satisfies the need for a highly useful, low-cost spectroscopic approach to both qualitative and quantitative analyses of organic systems. Until now, the disadvantage of using Raman spectroscopy has been the cost of the instrumentation. It is shown that when the application does not require high spectral resolution for analysis, LRRS can be used and implemented with low-cost multimode lasers and miniature low-resolution spectrometers, thus lowering the size, weight and cost of the instrumentation by an order of magnitude. First the implementation of LRRS is discussed, emphasizing a small portable instrument, then four applications are presented, each representative of a wide range of applications where LRRS is applicable. These results show that the use of LRRS provides the potential to bring Raman analyses out of the laboratory to the process floor and into the field for near real-time, on-site and, in many cases, in situ measurements, monitoring and identification.