Raman spectroscopy has been used as a quick and non-destructive method to analyze different organic and inorganic samples. It provides information about molecular vibrations athat can be used for sample identification and quantitation. The functional group nitrile has a distinct vibrational mode around the 2100-2300 cm<sup>–1</sup> region. There has been a great interest in the Raman active nitrile stretching mode, it being quite small and the C-N stretching frequency is highly sensitive to the solvent polarity, hydrogen bonding interaction and electric field around it. In this study, several nitrile containing compounds were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. Samples containing nitrile ranging from acetonitrile to nitrile gloves to peptides containing cyanophenylalanine were determined and compared with one another. The effect on the nitrile Raman shift by the presence of side-chains and other functional groups in the chemicals were determined. Solvent effects on cyanobenzaldehyde and methoxybenzonitrile were also determined using Raman spectroscopy. Lastly, theoretical calculations were compared side by side with experimental results.

Raman spectroscopic analysis of nitrile containing compounds

256th National Meeting (2018)

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