Raman microspectra combine information on chemical composition of plant tissues with spatial information. The contributions from the building blocks of the cell walls in the Raman spectra of plant tissues can vary in the microscopic sub-structures of the tissue. Here, we discuss the analysis of 55 Raman maps of root, stem, and leaf tissues of Cucumis sativus, using different spectral contributions from cellulose and lignin in both univariate and multivariate imaging methods. Imaging based on hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) indicates different substructures in the xylem cell walls of the different tissues. Using specific signals from the cell wall spectra, analysis of the whole set of different tissue sections based on the Raman images reveals differences in xylem tissue morphology. Due to the specifics of excitation of the Raman spectra in the visible wavelength range (532 nm), which is, e.g., in resonance with carotenoid species, effects of photobleaching and the possibility of exploiting depletion difference spectra for molecular characterization in Raman imaging of plants are discussed. The reported results provide both, specific information on the molecular composition of cucumber tissue Raman spectra, and general directions for future imaging studies in plant tissues.

The driving forces triggering the formation of co-crystals under milling conditions were investigated by using a set of multicomponent competitive milling reactions. In these reactions, different active pharmaceutical ingredients were ground together with a further compound acting as coformer. The study was based on new co-crystals including the coformer anthranilic acid. The results of the competitive milling reactions indicate that the formation of co-crystals driven by intermolecular recognition are influenced and inhibited by kinetic aspects including the formation of intermediates and the stability of the reactants.

The process of silicification in plants and the biochemical effects of silica in plant tissues are largely unknown. To study the molecular changes occurring in growing cells that are exposed to higher than normal concentration of silicic acid, Raman spectra of germinating pollen grains of three species (Pinus nigra, Picea omorika, and Camellia japonica) were analyzed in a multivariate classification approach that takes into account the variation of biochemical composition due to species, plant tissue structure, and germination condition. The results of principal component analyses of the Raman spectra indicate differences in the utilization of stored lipids, a changed mobilization of storage carbohydrates in the pollen grain bodies, and altered composition and/or structure of cellulose of the developing pollen tube cell walls. These biochemical changes vary in the different species.