Spectroscopy
hideSpectroscopy was originally the study of the interaction between radiation and matter as a function of wavelength (λ). In fact, historically, spectroscopy referred to the use of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g. by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any measurement of a quantity as function of either wavelength or frequency. Thus it also can refer to a response to an alternating field or varying frequency (ν). A further extension of the scope of the definition added energy (E) as a variable, once the very close relationship E = hν for photons was realized (h is the Planck constant). A plot of the response as a function of wavelength—or more commonly frequency—is referred to as a spectrum; see also spectral linewidth.
Spectrometry is the spectroscopic technique used to assess the concentration or amount of a given species. In those cases, the instrument that performs such measurements is a spectrometer or spectrograph.
Spectroscopy/spectrometry is often used in physical and analytical chemistry for the identification of substances through the spectrum emitted from or absorbed by them.
Spectroscopy/spectrometry is also heavily used in astronomy and remote sensing. Most large telescopes have spectrometers, which are used either to measure the chemical composition and physical properties of astronomical objects or to measure their velocities from the Doppler shift of their spectral lines.
For more information about Spectroscopy, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with spectroscopy
New hydrogen-storage method discovered
Nov 22, 2009 |
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Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have found for the first time that high pressure can be used to make a unique hydrogen-storage material. The discovery paves the way for an entirely new way to approach ...
Hydrogen-making algae's 'Achilles' heel' discovered
Sep 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered how oxygen stops green algae from producing hydrogen. The findings could help those working towards 'solar H2-farms' in which microorganisms produce hydrogen fuel ...
'Taco shell' protein: Orientation of middle man in photosynthetic bacteria described
Apr 13, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have figured out the orientation of a protein in the antenna complex to its neighboring membrane in a photosynthetic bacterium, a key find ...
'Holy powder' ingredient makes membranes behave for better health
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Mar 06, 2009 |
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Revered in India as "holy powder," the marigold-colored spice known as turmeric has been used for centuries to treat wounds, infections and other health problems. In recent years, research into the healing powers of turmeric's ...
Chemical energy influences tiny vibrations of red blood cell membranes
Dec 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Much like a tightly wound drum, red blood cells are in perpetual vibration. Those vibrations help the cells maintain their characteristic flattened oval or disc shape, which is critical to ...
A little magic provides an atomic-level look at bone
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Dec 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study using solid-state NMR spectroscopy to analyze intact bone paves the way for atomic-level explorations of how disease and aging affect bone. The research by scientists at the University of Michigan ...
An atomic-level look at an HIV accomplice
Nov 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Since the discovery in 2007 that a component of human semen called SEVI boosts infectivity of the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have been trying to learn more about SEVI and how it works, in hopes of ...
Identifying Molecules in Infrared Could Lead to New Medicines
Oct 27, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- An interdisciplinary team of researchers has created a new, ultra-sensitive technique to analyze life-sustaining protein molecules. The technique may profoundly change the methodology of biomolecular ...
New Twist on Favorite X-ray Technique Promises Ultrafast Molecular Studies
Oct 12, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of physicists from the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, including graduate student David Bernstein, have made a promising discovery that a well-known synchrotron technique ...
Hyper-SAGE boosts remote MRI sensitivity
Oct 09, 2009 |
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A new technique in Magnetic Resonance Imaging dubbed "Hyper-SAGE" has the potential to detect ultra low concentrations of clincal targets, such as lung and other cancers. Development of Hyper-SAGE was led ...
Breaking Down the Barrier for Smaller, Faster Electronic Devices
Oct 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of international researchers is the first to uncover the chemical composition and structure of a microelectronics element that is vital to producing ever smaller - and, thus, cheaper ...
Nanotechnology gets a new light touch
Oct 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Building the super-fast computers of the future has just become much easier thanks to an advance by Australian researchers that lets them grab hold of tiny electronics components and probe ...
Scientists to go where no chemists has gone before
Sep 28, 2009 |
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Scientists at The University of Nottingham have overcome one of the significant research challenges facing electrochemists. For the first time they have found a way of probing right into the heart of an electrochemical reaction.
New X-ray technique illuminates reactivity of environmental contaminants
Sep 15, 2009 |
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Thanks to a new analytical method employed by researchers at the University of Delaware, scientists can now pinpoint, at the millisecond level, what happens as harmful environmental contaminants such as arsenic ...
Chemists create protein structure database
Sep 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Any chemist with access to the Internet can now use a powerful tool to help them accurately identify the structure of a protein, thanks to recently published work led by Harold A. Scheraga, Cornell's Todd ...
