Abstract

CCD-detected Raman spectroscopy has been used to study intermediates and nanosecond kinetics in photoinitiated reactions. Multidimensional analysis techniques are used to isolate spectra of individual transient species from those of ground state initiators, photoproducts, reactants and solvent (Fig 1). These methods address several challenges facing Raman analysis of chemical reactions. Overlap in spectra of complex mixtures complicates band assignment and intensity analysis. Raman bands of transient species created in photoinitiated reactions may be difficult to separate from other bands. Multidimensional analysis allows bands to be resolved from spectra in which background subtraction is not feasible. Furthermore, kinetic and spectral information may be simultaneously extracted from the data.

© 1994 Optical Society of America