Paint Additives

Since paint additives can vary greatly, they represent an area where further research could prove beneficial.  With the Raman capability to determine relative intensities even with very small amounts, this may prove to be advantageous where IR fails.  IR has many advantages over Raman as well, but the combination of both methods may just be what the lawyers need when presenting their cases to the forensically-aware jurors.  

Below is a Raman spectrum of a typical paint sample taken from Avalon Instruments:
Raman Spectrum of Paint
http://www.spectroscopymag.com/spectroscopy/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=313010

The paint sample shows a strong peak identified as originating from the phalate molecule.  This is a molecule used as a base for some paints.  The (Web MO) IR spectrum for phthalate below shows no peak at this frequency.  This is an example of a vibration that is Raman-active, but not IR-active.
Phthalate IR



Paint Can
Back to Paints