When light interacts with a molecule, most of it scatters elastically, meaning the scattered light has the same energy as the incident light. This is known as Rayleigh scattering. However, a small fraction of light is scattered inelastically, resulting in a shift in energy that corresponds to the vibrational modes of the molecule. This shift in energy is what constitutes the Raman Effect. The resulting Raman spectrum acts as a molecular fingerprint, allowing for the identification and characterization of chemical compounds.
