Raman spectroscopy application to analyses of components in aqueous solutions

The characterization of species in aqueous solutions has presented a challenge to analytical and physical chemist, because the JR absorption of the aqueous solvent is so intense that it becomes difficult to observe the solute in the water by JR absorption. In contrast, Raman spectrum of the solute is unaffected by the water, so the weak scattering of water makes the technique well suited to aqueous samples, and the Raman spectrum exhibits well-defined bands corresponding to fundamental modes of vibration. In addition, Raman spectroscopy has some inherent advantages in aqueous solution analysis, because the spectral features of signals from different species are much more distinct, and it provides characteristic signatures for samples, such as blood, protein and cholesterol. All the advantages make Raman spectroscopy be a potential alternative for the study of aqueous solutions. Now, Raman spectroscopy has been applied to studying samples in aqueous solutions, blood serum, intracellular protein levels. Now, industrial wasted water contains many organic contaminants, and it is necessary to determine and monitor these contaminants. The paper first introduces Raman spectroscopy, and then describes its applications to determining the components in aqueous solutions, analyzes and assignes the Raman spectra of o-dichlorobenzene, o-xylene, m-xyiene and p-xylene in detail. The experimental results demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy is a particularly powerful technique for aqueous solutions analyses.