Raman spectroscopy articles from across Nature Portfolio

Research published in Nature shows that surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy carried out with colloids can quantify a range of molecules down to concentrations at the femtomolar level.

A unique soluble β-carotene-binding protein pigment extracted from yellow locust cuticle is biochemically and spectroscopically equivalent to the protein reconstituted in carotenoid-producing E. coli cells and capable of binding to chitin in vitro.

Authors present a centimeter-scale miniaturized Raman spectrometer using cheap nonstabilized laser diodes, densely packed optics, and non-cooled small sensors while the performance is comparable with expensive bulky research-grade Raman systems.

Bioimaging with photocontrol and multiplexing capability is vital for studying cellular interactions and dynamics, but multiplexed stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging with reversible photocontrol is elusive. Here, the authors report SRS microscopy with Carbow-switch enabling multiplexed SRS imaging and tracking in live cells with reversible photocontrol and high spatiotemporal selectivity.

Trans–cis photoisomerization is a fundamental photochemical reaction that is thought to proceed through an intermediate with a perpendicular conformation. However, unambiguous identification of this state has proved challenging. The combination of state-of-the-art ultrafast spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations now provides evidence for its structural observation in stilbene photoisomerization.

The accurate prediction of molecular spectra is essential for substance discovery and structure identification, but conventional quantum chemistry methods are computationally expensive. Now, DetaNet achieves the accuracy of quantum chemistry while improving the efficiency of prediction of organic molecular spectra.

Tip-molecule interactions and molecular motions such as molecular tilting and hopping process were explored via sub-nanometer-resolved tip-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy with single-chemical-bond limit.

In 1997, Kneipp et al. and Nie and Emory independently reported the first examples of single-molecule detection using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). These seminal works sparked a surge of interest in SERS, while introducing a new question: how can it be conclusively proven that just one molecule is being probed?