Absorption, fluorescence, and SERS spectra of sanguinarine at different pH values

Abstract

We have studied the absorption, fluorescence, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of sanguinarine using a silver hydrosol and an electrochemical cell with a silver working electrode for different pH values in the medium. We carried out quantum chemical calculations in order to interpret the electronic and vibrational spectra and to establish their correlations with the structure of the molecules. We optimized the structure and determined the spectral characteristics of the cationic and neutral forms of the sanguinarine molecules in solution and adsorbed on the surface of an anodized Ag electrode for different potentials.