Raman Spectroscopy: Why Peaks of Stokes Higher than Anti-Stokes?

In summary, the reason why the peaks of anti-Stokes are typically lower than those of Stokes in a graph of absorbance unit against wave number is because anti-Stokes usually occurs when the initial state is an excited state, where the population of electrons is lower compared to the ground state. This explains why anti-Stokes has lower peaks than Stokes.
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fricke
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Why do peaks of Stokes higher than peaks of anti-Stokes in graph of absorbance unit against wave number?
 
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Because anti-Stokes typically takes place when the initial state is an excited state.
 
  • #3
blue_leaf77 said:
Because anti-Stokes typically takes place when the initial state is an excited state.
Thank you for your reply!
So, anti-Stokes has lower peaks than Stokes because its initial state is an excited state where the population of electrons at excited state is lower than the ground state? Does it make sense?
 
  • #4
fricke said:
Thank you for your reply!
So, anti-Stokes has lower peaks than Stokes because its initial state is an excited state where the population of electrons at excited state is lower than the grounded state? Does it make sense?
Basically yes.
 

1. What is Raman Spectroscopy?

Raman Spectroscopy is a technique used in analytical chemistry to identify and analyze the chemical composition of a substance. It involves shining a laser beam onto the sample and measuring the scattered light to determine the molecular vibrations of the sample.

2. Why are the Stokes peaks higher than the Anti-Stokes peaks?

This phenomenon is known as the Stokes and Anti-Stokes effect. The Stokes peaks are higher because they represent the inelastic scattering of photons, where energy is lost and the scattered light has less energy than the incident light. On the other hand, the Anti-Stokes peaks represent the elastic scattering of photons, where energy is gained and the scattered light has more energy than the incident light. Since the inelastic scattering is more likely to occur, the Stokes peaks are generally more intense.

3. How does temperature affect the intensity of the Stokes and Anti-Stokes peaks?

As temperature increases, the intensity of the Stokes peaks increases while the intensity of the Anti-Stokes peaks decreases. This is because as temperature increases, the thermal energy of the molecules increases, making it more likely for inelastic scattering to occur and thus increasing the intensity of the Stokes peaks.

4. Can Raman Spectroscopy be used to identify all types of molecules?

Raman Spectroscopy can be used to identify most types of molecules, including organic and inorganic molecules, as well as gases, liquids, and solids. However, it may not be suitable for analyzing samples that are highly fluorescent or have low Raman scattering efficiency.

5. What are some advantages of using Raman Spectroscopy compared to other analytical techniques?

Raman Spectroscopy has several advantages, including its non-destructive nature, its ability to analyze samples in a variety of states (gases, liquids, solids), and its ability to provide information on both the chemical composition and molecular structure of a substance. It also requires minimal sample preparation and can be performed in real-time, making it a valuable tool for many scientific and industrial applications.

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