PerkinElmer Inc., a health sciences and photonics business, today announced the acquisition of Avalon Instruments Ltd. of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition expands and complements PerkinElmer's molecular spectroscopy product portfolio through adding a line of benchtop dispersive Raman spectrometers, the company said. The Avalon Raman platforms support both bulk analysis and microscopic imaging, enabling scientists and technicians to gain more information about their samples. Raman spectroscopy identifies and characterizes the composition of both organic and inorganic materials in a wide range of applications. It is a complementary analysis technique to near infrared (NIR) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Raman provides labs with the ability to analyze solids, liquids, powders, gels, slurries and aqueous solutions in bulk or to address variation in sample distribution with imaging. The technology is applicable to a diverse range of end markets, including pharmaceuticals, forensics and academia. For more information, visit: www.perkinelmer.com