Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous particles of environmental interest

Carbonaceous particles of environmental origin are practically insoluble, which constitutes an obstacle to many chemical phys- ical characterization techniques. Micro-Raman spectroscopy overcomes the sample preparation step and can be applied on the as-received sample and even in situ, with nowadays commercially available portable Raman equipment. Multivariate statistical analysis of Raman data recorded on a variety of carbonaceous particles of different origin, through a molecular interpretation of the signal, shows that the use of Raman spectroscopy with several excitation sources can provide a useful tool for assisting the characterization of various forms of environmental carbon matter.