Acquisition of Raman spectra of amino acids using portable instruments: Outdoor measurements and comparison

Raman spectra of 13 amino acids: L-alanine, beta-alanine, L-asparagine, L-aspartic acid, L-glutamic acid, L-glutamine, glycine, L-methionine, L-proline, L-serine, L-threonine, L-tryptophan and L-tyrosine were acquired outdoors using two portable Raman instruments from the Ahura and Delta Nu manufacturers, both with 785 nm laser excitation. Both instruments provide quality Raman spectra with nevertheless a variable dependence upon the prevailing experimental conditions. The data acquired in these experiments will inform the selection of suitable Raman spectrometers for the in-field detection of biomolecules of relevance to the search for life signatures spectroscopically in terrestrial extreme environments and in extraterrestrial exploration, especially of planetary surfaces and subsurfaces using robotic instrumentation. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.