Application of surface enhanced Raman scattering to the solution based detection of a popular legal high, 5,6-methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane (MDAI)

Surface enhanced Raman scattering together with a portable Raman spectrometer is utilised as an analytical tool for the detection of 'legal high' MDAI contained in solution at low levels. The ever increasing numbers and users of designer drugs means that analytical techniques have to evolve constantly to facilitate their identification and detection. We report that surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers a relatively fast and inexpensive method for the detection of MDAI at low concentrations. Careful optimisation of the silver sol, and salt concentrations was undertaken to ensure the SERS analysis was both reproducible and sensitive. The optimised system demonstrated acceptable peak variations of less than 15% RSD and resulted in a detection limit of just 8 ppm (5.4 × 10−5 M).