Raman optical activity: a novel version of chiroptical spectroscopy

We present here an introductory review of Raman optical activity (ROA), a newly developed version of Raman spectroscopy suitable for predicting the absolute configuration of chiral molecules. The phenomenon involves minute differential scattering of the left and right circularly polarized lights from the chiral molecules, compared to the parent Raman scattering the ROA process is weaker by nearly three to five orders of magnitude. An operational theory of the phenomenon is presented with working equations. The connection between the experimentally observed quantities and the molecular parameters of interests is established. A brief description of the layout of the apparatus currently used for ROA measurements is presented along with a concise review of selected studies highlighting the possibilities of potential applications of this new version of chiroptical spectroscopy in the analysis of structural features of chiral molecules.