General overview of use cases
Most substances in their pure form and with no external constraints (on sampling, time spend, or ambient restrictions) can usually be measured with both FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. However, in reality, many external factors make one of the techniques the preferred option:
Good use cases for FTIR:
• For many samples, established SOPs or analyses according to ASTM standards for IR spectroscopy are available
• Unknown substance identification (library search)
• Samples used for certification, easier to set up traceability
• Gases
• Deeply colored samples (no fluorescence contamination)
• White powders
• Samples which are easy to control and manipulate in an open lab environment
• Samples where several details or quality parameters need to be evaluated at once with a single measurement
• Samples requiring peak or integral analysis
Good use cases for Raman:
• Unknown substance identification (main components)
• Measurements in situ, within a machine or reactor (fiber optics and remote sampling)
• Aqueous solutions, especially with signals in the water region (e.g. proteins, tissues, biological samples)
• Samples that must not be touched or set free (e.g. toxic, narcotic, carcinogen)
• Samples that must not be destroyed, altered or consumed during measurement (e.g. expensive, hard to get samples, evidence, reference material)
• Samples sensitive to air or moisture (measurement through container possible)
• White powders
• Samples requiring peak analysis (less overlapping)
• Strongly active samples (saturation effects can be avoided by changing parameters, not the sample)
• Inhomogeneous samples (easier sampling on different positions)
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