| This dissertation is concerned with the achievement of routine measurement of Raman optical activity (ROA).; A theoretical description is included which provides insight into the molecular origin of optical activity and how ROA is a logical extension of a time dependent perturbation treatment of optical rotation.; General spectra/structure correlations are offered within a critical review of all data reported in the literature.; Sufficient detail on instrumentation and procedures is presented to permit construction and reliable operation of an ROA spectrometer. The alignment of the electro-optical modulator (EOM) is critical because of an incident polarization dependence of ordinary Raman scattering which is larger than the chiroptical effect. This work presents the first systematic method of alignment of the EOM for ROA.; New ROA data are presented for aqueous solutions of alanine, a molecule which is not particularly well suited for the observation of the phenomenon. It is a weak scatterer and aqueous solutions are only ca. 10% alanine by weight. ROA effects are small because of low chirality in terms of the masses attached to the chiral center of the zwitterion. Several scans over each spectral region were necessary to accumulate a statistically significant amount of data. Graphical data are presented for sum and difference spectra. Observed chirality numbers in parallel polarization are: (L)-alanine, -2.5 x 10('-3) at 405 cm('-1), -1.7 x 10('-3) at 920 cm('-1), +2 x 10('-3) at 1115 cm('-1), and +1 x 10('-3) at 1355 cm('-1); (D)-alanine, +2 x 10('-3) at 405 cm('-1), +2 x 10('-3) at 920 cm('-1), -2 x 10('-3) at 1115 cm('-1), and -1 x 10('-3) at 1355 cm('-1). |
