River Diagnostics
Technology
Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive technique, based on scattering of light by molecules. In Raman spectroscopy, the sample under investigation is illuminated with monochromatic laser light and part of the energy from the light is transferred into molecular vibrations. The difference in energy between scattered photons and incident photons is called the “Raman-shift”.
The precise amount of energy required to excite a molecular vibration, is sharply defined. It depends on the masses of the atoms involved in the vibration, on the type of chemical bonds between these atoms, on the structure of the molecule and on interactions with its environment and other molecules. Because a molecule can have many different Raman-active vibrational modes, each accompanied by its own specific Raman shift, Raman spectra are molecule-specific to a high degree.
Bacterial typing is based on the genotypic similarities and differences expressed in the overall molecular structure of the cell. These biochemical characteristics are displayed in the Raman spectrum of the entire biomass: nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates etc. that makeup and reflect the genetic structure of the living organism.
