Advances and Challenges in Optical Molecular Spectroscopy Including Surface Plasmon Resonance-Based Methods for Bioanalysis

This chapter introduces both linear and nonlinear spectroscopic approaches. It focuses on the interaction of ultraviolet (UV), visible (Vis), infrared (IR), and microwave radiation with organic matter in the absence of an external magnetic field; that is, on the methods of electronic, vibrational, and rotational spectroscopy. First, the basic principles and fundamental laws relevant to these methods of optical molecular spectroscopy are evoked, and methods of spectral data evaluation and their transfer into the relevant qualitative and quantitative analytical information are presented concisely. The chapter also explains on several selected methods of molecular spectroscopy including surface plasmon resonance‐based techniques, namely surface plasmon resonance (SPR), surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), surface‐enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA), electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), which provide unique information about the structure, conformation, and mutual interactions of naturally occurring substances as well as about their presence and localization within complex structures, such as cells.