Powder Spectra Research Articles

Raman spectroscopy analysis of terra sigillata: the yellow pigment of marbled sigillata

Raman spectroscopy combined with synchrotron radiation‐based techniques and electron microprobe was used to study the yellow component of slips of marbled sigillata. Electron microprobe analysis emphasized on a significant corpus that the yellow component was well made from a titanium‐rich clay preparation while X‐ray absorption near edge structure investigation at Ti K‐edge confirmed the massive presence of pseudobrookite (Fe2TiO5) in good agreement with previous study. Raman spectroscopy was correlated with X‐ray absorption near edge structure results in order to extract the Raman spectra of pseudobrookite, which was compared with these ones of synthesized pseudobrookite powder reference. The investigation of a significant corpus (43 sherds) of marbled sigillata revealed that all samples exhibited similar Raman spectra in yellow zones attributable to the pseudobrookite structure. However, all spectra show the same features compared with the spectra of reference powder, that is, peak shifts and line broadenings, which could be related to Mg and/or Al substitutions in pseudobrookite crystals of marbled sigillata. The substitution plays a dual role in pseudobrookite structure: (1) stabilizes the structure through involving an increase of cationic disorder and (2) makes the color less dark and yellow, which could account for the nice yellow color of marbled sigillata. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Eu<sup>3+</sup> 이온의 몰 비 변화에 따른 MgMoO<sub>4</sub>:Dy<sup>3+</sup>,Eu<sup>3+</sup> 형광체의 광학 특성

The effects of Eu 3+ doping on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of MgMoO4:Dy 3+ ,Eu 3+ phosphors prepared by solid-state reaction technique were investigated. XRD patterns exhibited that all the synthesized phosphors showed a monoclinic system with a dominant (220) diffraction peak, irrespective of the content of Eu 3+ ions. The surface morphology of MgMoO4:Dy 3+ ,Eu 3+ phosphors was studied using scanning electron microscopy and the grains showed a tendency to agglomerate as the content of Eu 3+ ions increased. The excitation spectra of the phosphor powders were composed of a strong charge transfer band centered at 294 nm in the range of 230~340 nm and two intense peaks at 354 and 389 nm, respectively, arising from the 6 H15/2→ 6 P7/2 and 6 H15/2→ 4 M 21/2 transitions of Dy 3+ ions. The emission spectra of the Mg 0.85MoO4:10 mol% Dy 3+ phosphors without incorporating Eu 3+ ions revealed a strong yellow band centered at 573 nm resulting from the 4 F9/2→ 6 H13/2 transition of Dy 3+ . As the content of Eu 3+ was increased, the intensity of the yellow emission was gradually decreased, while that of red emission band located at 614 nm began to appear, approached a maximum value at 10 mol%, and then decreased at 15 mol% of Eu 3+ . These results indicated that white light emission could be achieved by controlling the contents of the Dy 3+ and Eu 3+ ions incorporated into the MgMoO4 host crystal.

Nuclear inelastic scattering study of a dinuclear iron(II) complex showing a direct spin transition

The results of the nuclear inelastic scattering (NIS)/nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) for the powder spectra of dimeric [Fe 2 L 5(NCS) 4] (L = N-salicylidene-4-amino-1,2,4-triazole) complex are presented. This system is spin crossover (SCO) material tagged with a fluorophore that can sense or “feel” the SCO signal ripping through the molecular network and thereby providing an opportunity to register the SCO transition. The spectra have been measured for the low-spin and high-spin phases of the complex. The high-spin isomer reveals one broad band above 200 cm −1, while the low-spin one displays two intense bands in the range from 390 to 430 cm −1, accompanied by a number of weaker bands below this area and one at ca. 490 cm −1. A normal coordinate analysis based on density functional calculations yields the assignment of the spin marker bands to particular molecular modes. In addition the vibrational contribution to the spin transition has been estimated

A simple complex: ‘on–off–on’ colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescence response towards fluoride ions and its solid state optical properties

A simple 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol (1,1′-BINOL) boron complex has been rationally designed and synthesized, the structure of which was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Furthermore, the complex exhibited turn-on fluorescence for fluoride ions with high selectivity and sensitivity. The recognition mechanism for promoting was determined by 1H, 19F and 11B NMR titrations, which indicated that both the photo-induced electron-transfer (PET) and the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effects were functionalized. In addition, the complex showed strong solid-state fluorescence, and the emission spectrum and quantum efficiency (ΦF) of the solid powders were also measured.

Improved Mäule color reaction provides more detailed information on syringyl lignin distribution in hardwood

The traditional Maule color reaction was improved by use of tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane-hydrochloride acid (Tris–HCl) buffer coupled with a fluorescence microscope. The purple-red color of Maule-treated hardwood was more stable with the novel treatment than with traditional treatment. In addition, Maule-treated wood samples had a characteristic fluorescence when excited with blue (460–495 nm) light. Examination of white birch (Betula platyphylla) showed that syringyl-rich and guaiacyl-rich cell walls emitted red and yellow fluorescence, respectively. Measuring the fluorescence spectra of hardwood and softwood powders after treatment with the new Maule reagents showed that hardwood powder containing syringyl lignin emitted a red fluorescence, whereas softwood powder containing guaiacyl lignin emitted a green fluorescence when excited with blue light. In conclusion, this improved technique has many advantages compared with the traditional Maule color test.

Study on white-light emission and light-emitting mechanism of hydrothermally synthesized YVO4:1 mol.%Dy3+, x mol.%Eu3+ phosphor powders

White light-emitting YVO4:1 mol.%Dy3+, x mol.%Eu3+ phosphor powders with order morphology and well crystallization were hydrothermally synthesized at 180 °C. The microstructure, white-light emission, and light-emitting mechanism of the powders were carefully studied using X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectra. The excitation and emission spectra of the phosphor powders indicated the coexistence of efficient energy transfer from Eu3+ to Dy3+ and inefficient energy transfer from Dy3+ to Eu3+ besides the energy transfer from VO43- to Eu3+. Increasing the Eu3+ concentration initially enhanced and then weakened the luminescent intensity of Dy3+. The white-light emissions of YVO4:1 mol.%Dy3+, x mol.%Eu3+ phosphor powders were both related to the energy transfer between VO43- and Dy3+/Eu3+, as well as between Eu3+ and Dy3+. The inefficient energy transfer from Dy3+ to Eu3+ was first found.

Calculation of EPR Spectra of Samples with Anistropic Line Width: A New Efficient Algorithm

Calculation of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectra is essential part of studying proteins by spin labeling method, and studying metalloenzymes by EPR as well. Solution of inverse EPR problem by fitting model parameters to experimental data involves multiple calculations, so the performance of this elementary step is critical. In case of powder spectrum of disordered samples (like ones frozen at 77K), usual algorithm integrates over the space of orientations, calculating corresponding resonance positions. Resulting ‘stick’ spectrum is then convolved with line shape function (Lorentzian or Gaussian). If the line width does not depend on orientation (i.e., isotropic), Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) can be applied to calculate the convolution efficiently, but in typical case of anisotropic line width it is no more applicable. Program espect presented here uses algorithm that circumvents this limitation, making it possible to use FFT in case of arbitrary anisotropy of line width tensor. This leads to up to 100 times reduction of computational time required to calculate single spectrum. It is achieved by splitting the range of line widths into equal intervals, calculation of sub-spectra in each interval, and then using cubic interpolation to find the target spectrum approximation.

How accurate is Beer's Law in the analysis of NIR Data?

To construct a predictor of the proportional presence of some key component in a material, we assume that the near infrared (NIR) responses of the various component proportions are given by Beer's law. Using a set of NIR spectra of milk powder spiked with different amounts of casein, this assumption is tested by comparing different properties of this set of spectra with the equivalent properties of simulated spectra obtained by combining the spectrum of unspiked milk powder with the spectrum of casein, in the same proportions. The latter set of spectra corresponds to the situation where Beer's law holds exactly with no cross-interaction between the two linearly independent components, and, thereby, described by a rank-two row matrix. The former corresponds to what happens in practice with the possibility of cross-NIR-interaction occurring between the components. The degree to which Beer's law is likely to fail is examined. It is shown how spiking allows the identification of the casein wavelengths that are strongly independent of the NIR spectral responses of the other components in the milk powder. However, there are slight deviations from Beer's law and these are, in part, explained by diffraction effects. References B. Anderssen, F. de Hoog, and M. Hegland. A stable finite difference ansatz for higher order differentiation of non-exact data. Bull. Austral. Math. Soc. 58:223–232, 1998. doi:10.1017/S0004972700032196 R. S. Anderssen and F. R. de Hoog. Finite-difference methods for the numerical differentiation of non-exact data. Computing 33:259–267, 1984. doi:10.1007/BF02242272 R. S. Anderssen, F. R. de Hoog, I. J. Wesley, and A. B. Zwart. How much of a near infrared spectrum is useful? Sparse regularization–-let the data decide! In S. McCue, T. Moroney, D. Mallet, and J. Bunder (Eds), Proceedings of the 16th Biennial Computational Techniques and Applications Conference, CTAC-2012 , ANZIAM J. 54:C788–C808, 2012. http://journal.austms.org.au/ojs/index.php/ANZIAMJ/article/view/6744 R. S. Anderssen and M Hegland. For numerical differentiation, dimensionality can be a blessing! Math. Comput. 68(227):1121–1141, 1999. doi:10.1090/S0025-5718-99-01033-9 R. S. Anderssen and M. Hegland. Derivative spectroscopy: An enhanced role for numerical differentiation. J. Integral Equat. Appl. 22:355–367, 2010. doi:10.1216/JIE-2010-22-3-355 D. J. Dahm. Explaining some light scattering properties of milk using representative layer theory. J. Near Infrared Spec. 21:323–339, 2013. doi:10.1255/jnirs.1071 T. Naes, T. Isaksson, T. Fearn, and T. Davies. A User-Friendly Guide to Multivariate Calibration and Classification . NIR Publications, Chichester, UK, 2002. doi:10.1002/cem.815

Spectral Luminescent Properties of the Glycine Molecule in a Gas Discharge

We have experimentally studied the luminescence spectra of glycine powder in the plasma of a repetitively pulsed longitudinal discharge in argon–glycine and helium–glycine mixtures. We have identified the main fragments of the glycine molecule emitting in the 200–1000 nm region. The emitting molecules due to fragmentation of glycine and dissociation of the carboxyl (−COOH) and amino (−NH2) groups are nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and cyanogen molecules.

Differences Research of Particles between Line Smoke and Lampblack

In this paper, differences of the particle size between the pine smoke powders and lampblack powders were studied. The results showed that the particle spectrum of the pine smoke powders was unimodal distribution, while it was bimodal for the tung lampblack powders. The average particle size, volume of lampblack powders were about 1/3 and 3% of the pine smoke powders, respectively. But the specific surface area of lampblack particles was 5 times more than the pine smoke particles, which revealed the fact that the lampblack powders were more exquisite than the pine smoke powders .

Tailoring structure and property of Ge-As-S chalcogenide glass

Chalcogenide glass has been considered to be a promising optical material for infrared (IR) transmission and nonlinear optics because of its favorable physical properties such as wide IR transparent windows, high linear and nonlinear refractive indices, and tunable photosensitivity. In many optical designs and practical applications, the refractive index (n) and optical bandgap (Eg) are two important parameters. Aiming to evaluate the composition dependence of the n and Eg in Ge-As-S chalcogenide glasses, a series of glasses with different stoichiometric characteristics are synthesized in quartz tubes under vacuum by the melt quenching technique. The structure, n and Eg of the glass are investigated by Raman spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and diffused reflectance spectroscopy, respectively.To eliminate thermal effects on the measured Raman spectra, the data are corrected by the Bose-Einstein thermal factor. Raman spectrum analyses indicate that Ge-As-S glass has a continuous network structure with interconnected [GeS4] tetrahedra and [AsS3] pyramids forming the backbone. When S amount is excess, S chains or S8 rings emerge. When S amount is deficient, As4S4/As4S3 molecules are formed, and even a large number of As-As/Ge-Ge homopolar bonds appear in the structure. The n values at different wavelengths are obtained by fitting the ellipsometry data with the Sellmeier dispersion model. The values of molar refractivity (Ri) of Ge, As and S elements are evaluated by using the measured n and density (d) of the investigated glass. The optimal values of Ri at 2-10 m for each element are RGe=9.83-10.42 cm3/mol, RAs=11.72-11.87 cm3/mol, and RS=7.78-7.86 cm3/mol, respectively; and the values decrease with increasing wavelength. The n of Ge-As-S glass is well quantitatively correlated to the d and the Ri of constituent elements, so that its value can be predicted or tailored within 1% deviation. A method to determine reliable Eg of a glass is proposed based on diffuse reflectance spectrum (DRS) of glass powders. To determine Eg of a glass, the absorption coefficient () is required to be as low as ～104 cm-1. For a 1-mm-thick bulk glass, the detection limit of a spectrophotometer is typically 100 cm-1. To obtain a reasonable Eg, the sample thickness used for the measurement must be less than 10 m. Such a thin glass sample is difficult to prepare. In comparison, DRS of glass powers measured using a spectrophotometer is able to provide valid absorption data in a 104 cm-1 range required for Eg determination. In this proposed method, the Kubelka-Munk function F(R), which is proportional to of the glass, is calculated from the measured DRS on the glass powders. The F(R) is calibrated by using the DRS of a glass (e.g. As2S3) with a known Eg. Using the same F(R) absorbance value, Eg of the Ge-As-S glass is determined based on DRS of powders measured under the same condition. The Eg of Ge-As-S glass is broadly correlated to the average bond energy of the glass. The glass containing more S atoms tends to show a higher average bond energy, and therefore exhibits a larger Eg.

Synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy study of disordered cation distribution of nanosized zinc ferrite powders

The zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) powders of various nanoparticle sizes were synthesised at different milling times (0 to 24 h) of the as-combusted powders. The non-equilibrium site occupancy of zinc (Zn2+) and ferric (Fe3+) ions was investigated through Zn and Fe K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra. The XRD and SEM strongly confirm the particle size of these ferrites decreasing with the increasing milling time. Compared with the bulk specimen of zinc ferrite, both XANES and EXAFS spectra of zinc ferrite powders clearly exhibit the large translocation of Zn2+ ions from the tetrahedral (A) sites to the octahedral (B) sites and the opposite translocation of some of Fe3+ ions without affecting the long-range structural order. Moreover, the curve-fitting analysis of Zn and Fe K-edge EXAFS spectra indicates that the degree of inversion increases as the particle size decreases resulting in significant differences in the magnetic behaviours.

Lattice dynamical properties of superconductingSrPt3Pstudied via inelastic x-ray scattering and density functional perturbation theory

We present a study of the lattice dynamical properties of superconducting ${\mathrm{SrPt}}_{3}\mathrm{P}$ (${T}_{c}=8.4$ K) via high-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) and ab initio calculations. Density functional perturbation theory including spin-orbit coupling results in enhanced electron-phonon coupling (EPC) for the optic phonon modes originating from the Pt(I) atoms, with energies $\ensuremath{\sim}5$ meV, resulting in a large EPC constant $\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\sim}2$. An overall softening of the IXS powder spectra occurs from room to low temperatures, consistent with the predicted strong EPC and with recent specific-heat experiments ($2{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{0}/{k}_{\mathrm{B}}{T}_{c}\ensuremath{\sim}5$). The low-lying phonon modes observed in the experiments are approximately 1.5 meV harder than the corresponding calculated phonon branch. Moreover, we do not find any changes in the spectra upon entering the superconducting phase. We conclude that current theoretical calculations underestimate the energy of the lowest band of phonon modes indicating that the coupling of these modes to the electronic subsystem is overestimated.

Baseline Correction of Diffuse Reflection Near-Infrared Spectra Using Searching Region Standard Normal Variate (SRSNV).

An alternative baseline correction method for diffuse reflection near-infrared (NIR) spectra, searching region standard normal variate (SRSNV), was proposed. Standard normal variate (SNV) is an effective pretreatment method for baseline correction of diffuse reflection NIR spectra of powder and granular samples; however, its baseline correction performance depends on the NIR region used for SNV calculation. To search for an optimal NIR region for baseline correction using SNV, SRSNV employs moving window partial least squares regression (MWPLSR), and an optimal NIR region is identified based on the root mean square error (RMSE) of cross-validation of the partial least squares regression (PLSR) models with the first latent variable (LV). The performance of SRSNV was evaluated using diffuse reflection NIR spectra of mixture samples consisting of wheat flour and granular glucose (0-100% glucose at 5% intervals). From the obtained NIR spectra of the mixture in the 10 000-4000 cm(-1) region at 4 cm intervals (1501 spectral channels), a series of spectral windows consisting of 80 spectral channels was constructed, and then SNV spectra were calculated for each spectral window. Using these SNV spectra, a series of PLSR models with the first LV for glucose concentration was built. A plot of RMSE versus the spectral window position obtained using the PLSR models revealed that the 8680–8364 cm(-1) region was optimal for baseline correction using SNV. In the SNV spectra calculated using the 8680–8364 cm(-1) region (SRSNV spectra), a remarkable relative intensity change between a band due to wheat flour at 8500 cm(-1) and that due to glucose at 8364 cm(-1) was observed owing to successful baseline correction using SNV. A PLSR model with the first LV based on the SRSNV spectra yielded a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.999 and an RMSE of 0.70%, while a PLSR model with three LVs based on SNV spectra calculated in the full spectral region gave an R2 of 0.995 and an RMSE of 2.29%. Additional evaluation of SRSNV was carried out using diffuse reflection NIR spectra of marzipan and corn samples, and PLSR models based on SRSNV spectra showed good prediction results. These evaluation results indicate that SRSNV is effective in baseline correction of diffuse reflection NIR spectra and provides regression models with good prediction accuracy.

Models for Copper Dynamic Behavior in Doped Cadmium dl-Histidine Crystals: Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Crystallographic Analysis.

Electron paramagnetic resonance and crystallographic studies of copper-doped cadmium dl-histidine, abbreviated as CdDLHis, were undertaken to gain further understanding on the relationship between site structure and dynamic behavior in biological model complexes. X-ray diffraction measurements determined the crystal structure of CdDLHis at 100 and 298 K. CdDLHis crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with two cadmium complexes per asymmetric unit. In each complex, the Cd is hexacoordinated to two histidine molecules. Both histidines are l in one complex and d in the other. Additionally, each complex contains multiple waters of varying disorder. Single crystal EPR spectroscopic splitting (g) and copper hyperfine (A(Cu)) tensors at room temperature (principal values: g = 2.249, 2.089, 2.050; A(Cu) = -453, -30.5, -0.08 MHz) were determined from rotational experiments. Alignments of the tensor directions with the host structure were used to position the copper unpaired dx(2)-y(2) orbital in an approximate plane made by four proposed ligand atoms: the N-imidazole and N-amino of one histidine, and the N-amino and O-carboxyl of the other. Each complex has two such planes related by noncrystallographic symmetry, which make an angle of 65° and have a 1.56 Å distance between their midpoints. These findings are consistent with three interpretations that can adequately explain previous temperature-dependent EPR powder spectra of this system: (1) a local structural distortion (static strain) at the copper site has a temperature dependence significant enough to affect the EPR pattern, (2) the copper can hop between the two sites in each complex at high temperature, and (3) there exists a dynamic Jahn-Teller effect involving the copper ligands.

Composition dependence of the structure and optical properties of CuCrO2 powders

CuCrO2 powders have been prepared by solid state reaction method followed by thermal treatments at 850°C for 4h in air. Effects of mole ratio variation (Cr/Cu=1.03, 1, 0.95) on the morphological, structural and optical properties of CuCrO2 powders have been investigated. Both X-ray diffraction and Raman measurements indicate that the CuCrO2 powders belong to the delafossite structure. The Cr/Cu ratio drives the structural phase transition from multiphase coexistence to single CuCrO2 phase. Morphological images reveal that the CuCrO2 powder (Cr/Cu=1) exhibits a clear lamellae hexagonal structure whereas the Cr-rich sample (Cr/Cu=1.03) shows a distinct blocky structure, which possibly attributed to the Cr2O3 grains coating on those of CuCrO2. The optical absorption spectra of the as-prepared powders show that CuCrO2 has an indirect band gap of 1.64eV.

Thermal Treatment of Chromium(III) Oxide with Carbonates Analyzed by Far-Infrared Spectroscopy.

The chemical state of thermochemically treated chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3) with various carbonates was analyzed by far-infrared (far-IR) spectroscopy (spectral region 700-25 cm(-1)). Non-toxic Cr2O3 was oxidized with potassium, sodium, and calcium carbonate, respectively, to toxic Cr(VI) and Cr(V) compounds during thermal treatment at 1000 °C. In reverse, thermochemical treatment of Cr2O3 with magnesium carbonate lead to the formation of the Cr(III) compound MgCr2O4. Higher temperatures (>1200 °C) or reducing atmospheric conditions prevent the formation of Cr(VI)/Cr(V) compounds, too. Additionally, it was found that polyethylene powder with a low particle size (<70 μm) is favorable for the collection of good far-IR spectra of inorganic powders.

Inferring alteration conditions on Mars: Insights from near-infrared spectra of terrestrial basalts altered in cold and hot arid environments

Can information on the Martian environmental conditions prevailing during the alteration of its basaltic crust be inferred from near-infrared (NIR) spectra? In order to determine whether basalts altered under arid conditions but different temperatures have different spectral signatures, NIR spectra of basalts altered in cold (Udokan volcanic field, Siberia) and hot (Ogaden Basin, Ethiopia) environments were obtained. The NIR spectra of the alteration rind surface and the internal part of the studied samples are similar, suggesting that the NIR spectra of Martian bulk rocks may be of limited help in identifying paleoenvironment conditions. Bulk rock spectra analysis reveals, however, that spectra of the least altered rocks display clear absorption bands of smectites, suggesting that a distinction between clay minerals in weakly weathered basalts and clay-rich formations cannot be based solely on analysis of infrared spectra obtained from orbit. Additional compositional information can be retrieved from rock powder spectra – zeolites present in the Udokan basalt spectra might be used to infer composition and temperature of the fluids from which they precipitated. The presence of calcite and iddingsite is ascertained by other methods, but they are not apparent in bulk rock spectra and only weakly apparent in powder spectra. The basalt samples studied display alteration products that reflect their different alteration histories; nevertheless no criterion has been found that would help in identifying the origin of the weathering water – subsurface, rainfall, or snowfall.

Structural, Microstructural and Magnetic Characterizations of Mechanically Alloyed Fe65Si20Cr15 Powders Mixture

Nanostructured Fe65Si20Cr15 powders were prepared by mechanical alloying in a planetary ball mill. Morphological, microstructural, structural, and magnetic characterizations of the milled powders were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer. A mixture of substitutional bcc Fe(Si) (˜29 nm) and bcc Cr(Si) (˜45 nm) is obtained after 3 h of milling. Upon prolonged milling, all the as-milled powders exhibit non-equilibrium α-Fe(Si,Cr) solid solution with an average crystallite size of 19–23 nm. The lattice parameter decreases initially up to 3 h and then increases with further increase in milling time due to dissolution of Cr and Si into Fe host lattice. The variation of microstructural parameters such as average crystallite size, r.m.s. microstrain, static Debye–Waller parameter, and dislocation density as a function of milling time show good correlations. Mossbauer spectra of the milled powders, recorded at room temperature, reveal the decrease of the average hyperfine field suggesting a random distribution of atoms during milling and point out the formation of the disordered bcc Fe(Si,Cr) solid solution. After 15 h of milling, the coercivity and magnetization values are 81.7 Oe and 120.3 emu/g, respectively.

Compact Solid-State 213 nm Laser Enables Standoff Deep Ultraviolet Raman Spectrometer: Measurements of Nitrate Photochemistry.

We describe a new compact acousto-optically Q-switched diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) intracavity frequency-tripled neodymium-doped yttrium vanadate laser capable of producing ~100 mW of 213 nm power quasi-continuous wave as 15 ns pulses at a 30 kHz repetition rate. We use this new laser in a prototype of a deep ultraviolet (UV) Raman standoff spectrometer. We use a novel high-throughput, high-resolution Echelle Raman spectrograph. We measure the deep UV resonance Raman (UVRR) spectra of solid and solution sodium nitrate (NaNO3) and ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) at a standoff distance of ~2.2 m. For this 2.2 m standoff distance and a 1 min spectral accumulation time, where we only monitor the symmetric stretching band, we find a solid state NaNO3 detection limit of ~100 μg/cm(2). We easily detect ~20 μM nitrate water solutions in 1 cm path length cells. As expected, the aqueous solutions UVRR spectra of NaNO3 and NH4NO3 are similar, showing selective resonance enhancement of the nitrate (NO3(-)) vibrations. The aqueous solution photochemistry is also similar, showing facile conversion of NO3(-) to nitrite (NO2(-)). In contrast, the observed UVRR spectra of NaNO3 and NH4NO3 powders significantly differ, because their solid-state photochemistries differ. Whereas solid NaNO3 photoconverts with a very low quantum yield to NaNO2, the NH4NO3 degrades with an apparent quantum yield of ~0.2 to gaseous species.