New method for the microscopic, nondestructive acquisition of ultraviolet resonance Raman spectra from plant cell walls.

Raman spectroscopy has long been used for the chemical analysis of organic matter, including natural products, using excitation wavelengths in the visible, infrared, or ultraviolet portions of the spectrum. The use of ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy (UVRR) to study bulk samples of plant tissue has typically been carried out by rotating homogeneous macro-samples beneath the laser beam in order to minimize the amount of UV radiation impinging on any one spot, thereby avoiding its potentially damaging effects on the organic matter analyzed. This paper extends the use of UVRR to the study on a microscopic scale of individual plant cell walls by use of the controlled micro-displacement of a sample.