The Virsa Raman analyser from Renishaw is a flexible, fibre-coupled system that is ideal for liquid monitoring in process development and R&D settings.
The Virsa analyser is ideal for studying liquids thanks to its many features, including:
- High sensitivity (similar to that of the inVia™ Raman microscope by Renishaw), making it ideal for transforming laboratory-developed solutions for production line and in-field use
- Dual excitation wavelength capability, enabling it to probe a wider range of samples compared to a single-wavelength system
- Compatible with probes designed specifically for use at elevated temperatures and pressures or for harsh chemical environments
- Great sampling flexibility, thanks to its ability to be coupled to a variety of through-window and immersion probes
- Can be operated in both laboratories and industrial environments, because of the rugged fibre-coupled spectrometer; it is also easy to couple to chemical reactors
- Its high optical efficiency, gives intense low-noise Raman signals from liquids
Figure 1. Virsa analyser with an immersion probe. Image Credit: Renishaw plc - Spectroscopy
Analysis of Liquids
This article illustrates data collected from the common industrial liquids; ethanol and cyclohexane, when both through-window and immersion sampling were used. Figure 2. shows a Raman spectrum of cyclohexane collected with a 785 nm laser with an acquisition time of 1 second.
Figure 2. Raman spectrum of cyclohexane collected in 1 second. Image Credit: Renishaw plc - Spectroscopy
One of the advantages of the Virsa Raman analyser is that it is able to collect spectra over broad spectral ranges (such as from 50 cm-1 to 4000 cm-1) because of its extended scanning capability.
Figure 3. demonstrates where through-window and immersion probes have been used to collect broad range Raman spectra from ethanol. Not only can the C-H stretch region be seen at about 3000 cm-1 in these spectra, but the whole of the fingerprint region below 1500 cm-1 can also be seen.
Figure 3. Raman spectra of ethanol collected using an immersion probe (red) and through window probe (black). Image Credit: Renishaw plc - Spectroscopy
The two probes provide signal levels that are comparable, with the immersion probe giving slightly higher background. This illuminates the high level at which the Virsa Raman analyser can perform with both probe types and how it enables users to select whatever probe is most appropriate for their experiment.
Summary
- The highly sensitive design of the Virsa Raman analyser means that it is ideal for quickly measuring difficult Raman samples with high signal-to-noise ratios
- It is suited to diverse applications because it can be coupled with a wide range of fibre probes
- It is a powerful tool for process development
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Renishaw plc - Spectroscopy.
For more information on this source, please visit Renishaw plc - Spectroscopy.