Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Time resolved techniques
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Apparatus parts based on nanostructures, nano materials and nano hybrids
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Research and development by IR spectrometer producers is dedicated to more powerful systems, providing
more capabilities while they are user friendly. The main goal of every scientific development is to facilitate
life and it is desirable that efforts dedicated to life quality and health aspects are of high importance. In
addition with its routine application in analysis of regular chemical and biological samples, IR spectroscopy
has been gradually introduced as a common and useful approach for analysis of more complex structures
such as multi component biological ones, cell lines, bio-fluids, tissues, and so on during the last two decades.
This surprising and tremendous increment in IR spectroscopy favor is indebted to the professional focus on
the theoretical basis for using it as a tool for structure analysis. A simple survey will provide a huge amount
of publications discussing the IR spectroscopic study of biological molecules' conformations such as nucleic
acids, carbohydrates, peptides and proteins. This could be referred to as the introduction to medical
applications of IR spectroscopy.
Usually, most of the researchers' time in the field of analytical chemistry is spent in the sample preparation
step which consists of separation, extraction, purification, condensation, concentration, and so on. This tedious
step also consumes the main amount of chemicals which are utilized as the solvent, mobile phase, concentrator,
extractor and phase transfer agent. Thus researchers are faced with some noteworthy subjects: lack of time and
chemical wastes. Surprisingly, turning the methods which do not require sample preparation steps or need a
simple one would also reduce the time consumption and chemicals' waste simultaneously. Even if the lack of
time could be supposed as the common problem of all research activities and could be somehow solved by
team work, the environmental problem raised by chemical pollution would remain a noticeable bug.
Global attention to the confirmation of environmental friendly activities has engaged all aspects of the
human activities. Researchers are also concerned the harmful consequences of environmental pollution and
try to replace the pollutant strategies with safe ones. In field of chemistry the general activities in this subject
have been named 'green chemistry'. While most attention in green chemistry is paid to recycling, green
analytical approaches are increasing gradually. Infrared spectroscopy as a rapid robust method which does
not require a serious pre-analysis sample preparation step is capable of application to green analytical aims.
IR spectroscopy, by utilization of instrumental and chemometric development could enhance the state-of-the-
art in Green Analytical Chemistry.
Medical application of IR spectroscopy is an interesting example of this green analytical technique which
also amplifies spectroscopists' novel ideas for invention of rapid diagnosis procedures. Medical and clinical
applications of IR spectroscopy are divided in two categories: quantitative analysis and pattern recognition.
Several bio-effective chemical analytes may be quantified simultaneously from the spectrum of a body fluid
sample. IR spectroscopy is capable of reagent free analysis, providing valuable quantitative information for
the physician about the health situation of the patient. In the other hand it is very important to diagnose the
illness pattern via classification of IR spectra by an insured data base, co-analyzed by a routine diagnosis
method. Pathology assisted IR spectroscopic analysis is suitable to be performed on in vitro biopsies or in
vivo conditions. These analyses would reveal the molecular composition variations and correlate the IR
spectral pattern with histological differences, concluding the diagnosis of disease affected or healthy normal
samples. IR imaging is also capable of wider application as a green approach. In this technique microscopic
functional group maps are interpretative result of chemical images providing by the apparatus. One of the
main parameters influencing the diagnostic approach, allowing it to be called a green approach, is its invasive
effect on the body during the procedure. According to the main aim which was to propose environmental
friendly routes, it is also noticeable to apply techniques which would normally invade a patient during the
clinical investigation are kept as low as possible. Taking in account the importance of a non-invasive technique
to be used in the biodiagnostic method, IR spectroscopy is again a green analytical tool.
