Molecular Spectroscopy

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New Raman Spectroscopy Techniques Promise Safer Produce

October 21st 2024

A recent study examined the use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in detecting pollutants and pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables.

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How Raman Spectroscopy is Advancing Sustainable Farming Practices

October 14th 2024

Best of the Week: Pharmaceutical Eye Drops, Chemometric Calibrations, Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy
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October 11th 2024

Applications of Raman Spectroscopy in Breast Cancer Surgery: A SciX Interview with Ioan Notingher, Part 3
Applications of Raman Spectroscopy in Breast Cancer Surgery: A SciX Interview with Ioan Notingher, Part 3

October 9th 2024

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The 2024 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy Award

October 7th 2024

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Recording the Raman Spectrum of a Single Molecule

Recording the Raman Spectrum of a Single Molecule

September 2nd 2021

Analytical chemists are continually striving to advance techniques to make it possible to observe and measure matter and processes at smaller and smaller scales. Professor Vartkess Ara Apkarian and his team at the University of California, Irvine have made a significant breakthrough in this quest: They have recorded the Raman spectrum of a single azobenzene thiol molecule. The approach, which breaks common tenets about surface-enhanced Raman scattering/spectroscopy (SERS) and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), involved imaging an isolated azobenzene thiol molecule on an atomically flat gold surface, then picking it up and recording its Raman spectrum using an electrochemically etched silver tip, in an ultrahigh vacuum cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope. For the resulting paper detailing the effort [1], Apkarian and his associates are the 2021 recipients of the William F. Meggers Award, given annually by the Society for Applied Spectroscopy to the authors of the outstanding paper appearing in the journal Applied Spectroscopy. We spoke to Apkarian about this research, and what being awarded this honor means to him and his team. This interview is part of an ongoing series with the winners of awards that are presented at the annual SciX conference. The award will be presented to Apkarian at this fall’s event, which will be held in person in Providence, Rhode Island, September 28–October 1.