.... http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/landing.cda?type=Feature&chId=6 http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cma/download.cma?imageType=RssLogo&contentType=Feature&siteId=1&chId=6 http://www.spectroscopynow.com/ http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26701&type=Feature&page=1 Raman spectroscopy has been used to investigate graphene, which might be considered the thinnest material known. The nanomaterial is not transparent to light, but water behaves as if it were not there. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26615&type=Feature&page=1 The chemical composition of membranes of giant unilamellar phospholipid vesicles prepared by microfluidic jetting was determined using Raman scattering spectroscopy, revealing differences from vesicles prepared by other methods. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26598&type=Feature&page=1 Researchers at the University of Twente's MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology and elsewhere have used a "reverse" approach to cleaning CARS, coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy, images that helps them eliminate background noise. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26464&type=Feature&page=1 A forensic analysis of several samples of pyrotechnic artefacts by Raman spectroscopy assisted by SEM-EDS and FTIR spectroscopy revealed many components including several nitrates, ammonium perchlorate, nitrocellulose, metallic titanium particles and shellac. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26436&type=Feature&page=1 A new class of materials for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) consisting of hollow, buoyant silica microspheres coated with gold nanoparticles has been developed. These new materials allow for a novel type of molecular assay designated as a lab-on-a-bubble (LoB). http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26354&type=Feature&page=1 The 9th European Conference on Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy (ECONOS) was held at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany, in June 2010. The ECONOS meeting is a continuation of annual meetings devoted to different issues in the rapidly expanding field of nonlinear optical spectroscopy, and covers all forms of non-linear optical spectroscopy, theoretical and experimental studies, and applications. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26318&type=Feature&page=1 Raman spectroscopy and an advanced statistical analysis have now been added to the arsenal of techniques available to law enforcement scientists allowing them to quickly and accurately identify traces of vaginal fluid at a crime scene. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26334&type=Feature&page=1 The current status of Raman spectroscopy applications on algae is reviewed, with particular attention to identifying and selecting oil-rich algal strains for the potential mass production of commercial biofuels and for utilization in the food industry. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26229&type=Feature&page=1 A portable and cost-effective Raman spectrometer was tested for the inline monitoring of electrode processing using tape-cast LCO foils as examples. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26206&type=Feature&page=1 An accidental discovery at the University of California, Riverside, might allow materials scientists to control the way sheets of the carbon allotrope stack together and so allow them to tune the electrical properties of the material. Raman spectroscopy was used to reveal the stacking order and so may have played a crucial role in the development of graphene nanoelectronics devices of the future. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26067&type=Feature&page=1 Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize the polymorphs and liquid state of cocoa butter, clearly demonstrating that the different functional groups studied could be characterized independently, allowing for the understanding of their role in cocoa butter polymorphism. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=26058&type=Feature&page=1 Raman spectroscopy has become an increasingly useful tool in the geosciences partly because it is non-destructive and requires minimal sample preparation, but also because it can be carried out on site with various irreplaceable geological samples. Unfortunately, Raman can confuse, especially when substances such as haematite and disordered carbonaceous materials are present in the same sample. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=25972&type=Feature&page=1 A simplified setup for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy allows for recording images with 30 cm<sup>-1</sup> excitation band-width for probing Raman bands between 500 and 900 cm<sup>-1</sup> with minimal requirements for alignment. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=25950&type=Feature&page=1 Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy can be used to detect single nucleotide substitutions (the all-important SNPs of genetic variance and personalised medicine) in DNA without the need for labels or indeed any chemical modification of the oligonucleotides. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=25806&type=Feature&page=1 SERS spectra were recorded directly on single particles of red lake pigments from an important historical watercolor by the American master Winslow Homer that suffered some degree of fading to reveal accurate colorant identification. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=25783&type=Feature&page=1 Radioactively labelled gold nanoparticles can assist in a novel endoscopic technique using Raman spectroscopy to look at microscopic structures, including nascent tumours, deep within the body. Preclinical tests carried out using the technology shows that the gold nanoparticles can be administered safely and used to image the inside of the large intestine. The research bodes well for identification of malignant tissue in the earliest stages of colon cancer. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=25619&type=Feature&page=1 A rapid method that combined immunomagnetic separation and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy has been demonstrated for the detection of ricin in whole milk, the feasibility of a portable Raman instrument showing great promise for on-site detection in a processing facility. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=25577&type=Feature&page=1 Scientists at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Tamil Nadu have carried out the first study of "pure" uranium using Raman spectroscopy. The fundamental research offers new insights into this radioactive metal and may even have implication for developments in nuclear energy. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=25402&type=Feature&page=1 Raman microspectroscopy was used to gather spatially resolved chemical information on the carbon and poly(tetrafluoroethylene) distribution of fuel cell gas diffusion layers. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=6&id=25357&type=Feature&page=1 New quantum calculations show how electrical charge can slosh from a target molecule to the metal being used to enhance Raman signals in Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The finding could finally explain the mechanism by which this technique boosts Raman spectra in terms of the chemical contribution to the effect.