Fourier-transform Raman spectroscopic study of unsaturated and saturated waxes

The application of Fourier-transform (FT)-Raman spectroscopy to the non-destructive analysis of plant biomaterials, comprising ten different waxes, is illustrated in this work. All the wax specimens studied are multicomponent systems and comparison of the individual spectra was effected. This leads to a means of distinguishing the individual wax specimen using FT-Raman spectroscopy. The samples were not pre-treated before analysis and were used directly from their respective storage collections.