Raman’s Gift to the Art World
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Daniel Rabinovich
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (1888-1970), a resourceful physicist, prolific writer, and generous mentor, is best known for the discovery of the light-scattering effect that bears his name. He was the sole recipient of the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics, an honor bestowed upon him less than two years after the phenomenon was first observed. Interest in Raman spectroscopy grew exponentially within years and, by 1937, close to 1800 papers had been published on the subject.
Since its inception, Raman spectroscopy has been used to probe the vibrational states of the chemical bonds present in an incredible variety of molecular compounds and solid-state materials and is therefore a versatile method for chemical analysis and characterization. Not surprisingly, applications of this spectroscopic technique range from the identification of gemstones and minerals and the remote sensing of explosives to the study of complex biomolecules and drug polymorphs in the pharmaceutical industry.
The Indian stamp illustrated here, issued only a year after Raman’s death, features a portrait of the renowned scientist, his signature, a diamond (a crystalline substance he studied extensively), and the Raman spectrum of carbon tetrachloride (i.e., tetrachloromethane in IUPAC parlance).
As a very sensitive and non-destructive method that requires minimal sample preparation, Raman spectroscopy is a widespread technique used to investigate the composition of works of art and objects of cultural heritage, including paintings, ceramics, glasses, manuscripts, textiles, metals, and even biomaterials such as hair, skin, teeth, and bones. For example, the unequivocal identification of the original pigments used in a painting provides useful information regarding the artist’s working method and facilitates its present-day preservation and authentication.
Interestingly, a recent article in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal (E. Imperio, G. Giancane and L. Valli, Analyst 2015, 140:1702-1710) describes the use of Raman spectroscopy to analyze the printing inks of Italian stamps produced since 1862. This could potentially help in the detection of forgeries of rare or valuable stamps, which I personally think is a beautiful example of analytical chemistry in the service of philately!
©2016 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead - Full issue pdf
- Contents
- Features
- The Art of Building Small
- Chemistry for the Future Solvay Prize
- CAMEO: The Science in Art
- Colorimetric Sensor
- The Discovery of Phytochrome
- Stamps International
- Raman’s Gift to the Art World
- IUPAC Wire
- Kicking off the Preparations for the IUPAC Centenary
- IUPAC Elections for the 2018–2019 Term
- IUPAC Announces the Winners of the 2016 IUPAC-Solvay International Award for Young Chemists
- Volker Hessel Is Awarded the 2016 IUPAC ThalesNano Prize for Flow Chemistry
- Dan Kunkel to Receive the IUPAC International Award for Advances in Crop Protection Chemistry
- Ali Maleki Is Awarded the 2016 IUPAC-CHEMRAWN VII Prize for Green Chemistry
- 2016 Andrei Sakharov Prize Awarded to Zafra Lerman
- In Memoriam—Paul De Bièvre
- Project Place
- Guide (and Brief Guide) to Polymer Semiconductors
- Critical Evaluation of Equilibrium Constants of 4f Metal Mixed Complexes with Acidic (Chelating) Ligands in Combination with Various Organophosphorus O-donor Molecules
- Network for Heterocyclic Chemistry among Countries of the Mediterranean Sea Area, Including Europe and North Africa
- Nomenclature for Properties and Units or NPU Terminology
- Making an imPACt
- Human Errors in a Routine Analytical Laboratory—Classification, Modeling and Quantification: Overview of the IUPAC/CITAC Guide*
- IUPAC Provisional Recommendations
- Names and Symbols of the Elements With Atomic Numbers 113, 115, 117, and 118
- Preferred Names of Constitutional Units for Use in Structure-based Names of Polymers
- Conference Call
- Ecological Risk Assessment Workshop
- ChemCYS 2016. An Inspiring and Stimulating Conference for Young Chemists Worldwide
- Photochemistry
- Research and Education in the Middle East
- Gender Issues in Field Research
- Mark Your Calendar
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead - Full issue pdf
- Contents
- Features
- The Art of Building Small
- Chemistry for the Future Solvay Prize
- CAMEO: The Science in Art
- Colorimetric Sensor
- The Discovery of Phytochrome
- Stamps International
- Raman’s Gift to the Art World
- IUPAC Wire
- Kicking off the Preparations for the IUPAC Centenary
- IUPAC Elections for the 2018–2019 Term
- IUPAC Announces the Winners of the 2016 IUPAC-Solvay International Award for Young Chemists
- Volker Hessel Is Awarded the 2016 IUPAC ThalesNano Prize for Flow Chemistry
- Dan Kunkel to Receive the IUPAC International Award for Advances in Crop Protection Chemistry
- Ali Maleki Is Awarded the 2016 IUPAC-CHEMRAWN VII Prize for Green Chemistry
- 2016 Andrei Sakharov Prize Awarded to Zafra Lerman
- In Memoriam—Paul De Bièvre
- Project Place
- Guide (and Brief Guide) to Polymer Semiconductors
- Critical Evaluation of Equilibrium Constants of 4f Metal Mixed Complexes with Acidic (Chelating) Ligands in Combination with Various Organophosphorus O-donor Molecules
- Network for Heterocyclic Chemistry among Countries of the Mediterranean Sea Area, Including Europe and North Africa
- Nomenclature for Properties and Units or NPU Terminology
- Making an imPACt
- Human Errors in a Routine Analytical Laboratory—Classification, Modeling and Quantification: Overview of the IUPAC/CITAC Guide*
- IUPAC Provisional Recommendations
- Names and Symbols of the Elements With Atomic Numbers 113, 115, 117, and 118
- Preferred Names of Constitutional Units for Use in Structure-based Names of Polymers
- Conference Call
- Ecological Risk Assessment Workshop
- ChemCYS 2016. An Inspiring and Stimulating Conference for Young Chemists Worldwide
- Photochemistry
- Research and Education in the Middle East
- Gender Issues in Field Research
- Mark Your Calendar
