Super spectroscopy

In the final LN Companion Series of 2014, we take a look at an analytical method that has enlightened us in so many ways. It has allowed us to probe the deepest secrets of our universe from the subtlest atomic nuance to the grandest stars. It is, of course, spectroscopy. As a science, it has a history as rich as it is distinguished. Beginning with the optical experiments of a certain Isaac Newton in 1666, through the insights of Joseph Fraunhofer and onto advanced lasers – the development of spectroscopy has pushed the limits of our understanding of physics. Yet as a method, spectrometry only really began to develop into the invaluable tool it has become today with the discovery that each element and compound has its own spectrum. It was a discovery which followed on from the work of many great scientists, but it can really be attributed to German physicist Gustav Kirchhoff and chemist Robert Bunsen – yes that’s right, he of Burner fame. In fact his eponymous burner was, in part, responsible for this breakthrough. Maintaining a reliable light source for spectroscopy studies in the early 1800s was not an insignificant problem – no surprise then that an improved flame source provided just the technical push that was needed for Kirchhoff and Bunsen to begin to understand the link between the elements and their unique spectra. In doing so analytical spectroscopy was born, and with it the ability of mankind to read a language written in light hitherto incomprehensible to us. Then the development of laser light technology brought a new interest in atomic and molecular spectroscopy. Today, spectrometry really is in a Halcyon period with a diversity of methodology, equipment and applications that is frankly mind-boggling. We have aimed to give a snap shot of the state of the art in this supplement – and the sheer diversity of topics covered is testament to the power of a technique that really has changed our understanding of the universe.