Detection of fentanyl in binary mixtures with cocaine by use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Abstract

The ongoing epidemic pertaining to overdose deaths has been attributed to the synthetic opioid fentanyl due to its use as an adulterant in other, less potent drugs of abuse. Detection of low quantities of fentanyl would, therefore, be extremely useful in a forensic science laboratory. While Raman spectroscopy is particularly effective at distinguishing between classes of drugs, weak signatures can prove difficult when dealing with microscopic samples. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy provides the enhancement necessary to make Raman a viable approach for the detection of small amounts of fentanyl. This work explores the use of a paper-based substrate loaded with silver nanoparticles for the recovery of small quantities of fentanyl in cocaine, where it was identified at a lower limit of 500 ng (∼65 ppm) in mixtures. Linear relationships were investigated between intensity and concentration for diagnostic peaks associated with fentanyl and cocaine, which in turn sheds light on the attenuation of the enhancement intensity as a result of competitive binding to silver nanoparticles. This work demonstrates a potentially simple and qualitative pathway for the forensic analysis of fentanyl as an adulterant in cocaine.