Application Finder

For SERS developers and end users of SERS for specific applications to investigate low concetation levels of compounds, the centerpiece of their technological platform must be a Raman setup that provides reliable lab grade performance and is affordable and portable, allowing them to tackle real world problems. The portable i-Raman Plus system coupled with a BAC151 video microscope sampling accessory provides an ideal setup. With the performance and flexibility of use with different laser spot size and power for SERS research.

Raman spectroscopy is used widely by law enforcement as a field screening tool due to its speed, selectivity and ease of use. The majority of materials can be identified by the Raman signature, as they exhibit sharp distinctive peaks serving as a molecular fingerprint. However, many street and real-world samples are dark in color and not pure. The dark color, often due to impurities, gives rise to fluorescence that interferes with the Raman measurement. One method to suppress the fluorescence of a sample and enhance the Raman activity / signal is by the use of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS).

The emergence of counterfeit prescription drugs has become a concern for the pharmaceutical industry. Because of the low concentrations of APIs found in pharmaceutical drugs, normal Raman spectroscopy is typically not sensitive enough to detect the API from the surface of a pill. In this study we develop a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based approach to identify a low-dose of the API alprazolam in a Xanax tablet using a handheld Raman spectrometer. If no SERS peaks consistent with alprazolam are observed from a Xanax tablet, the pill is a suspected fake. The method demonstrates the power of SERS to quickly verify the presence of alprazolam in the tablet for anti-counterfeiting purposes.

B&W Tek’s TacticID®-1064 is a field-ready handheld Raman system utilizing 1064-nm wavelength laser excitation. Designed for forensic analysis by safety personnel, first responders, and law enforcement personnel, the TacticID-1064 significantly reduces fluorescence, allowing users to identify tough street samples such as ecstasy tablets in a variety of colors and mixture forms.

Forensics testing of samples encountered by law enforcement and customs agents is based on analytical techniques that are now being miniaturized and simplified and are making their way into field instrumentation. Field testing with Raman spectroscopy allows users to conduct reliable measurements at the point of arrest, reducing the burden on crime labs and accelerating the prosecution process.

The TacticID®-1064 ST is a 1064 nm handheld Raman system designed for law enforcement officials, first responders, and customs and border protection officers for rapid field identification of illicit substances such as narcotics, explosives, and other suspicious materials.The TacticID-1064 ST is specially designed with see-through Raman functionality to measure materials through both transparent and opaque containers. These through-barrier measurements remove the need for active sampling of potentially dangerous compounds such as fentanyl, leading to safer operations and reduced wait time for clear results.

Moisture in cannabis impacts potency and must be accurately determined. Loss on drying (LOD) is the most popular method for determining moisture in cannabis. Unfortunately, this technique is not specific to moisture and the loss of any volatile components, such as terpenes, will be incorrectly classified as moisture. Karl Fischer (KF) titration is the only chemically specific test for moisture. This poster describes the instrument used to determine moisture content by Karl Fischer titration and compares the results of this data to loss on drying.

Identification of unknown materials in the field can be a complicated affair, especially in critical situations, where speed, safety, and ease-of-operation are essential. Mira DS, Metrohm Raman’s handheld Raman analyzer, and the intelligent Universal Attachment (iUA) give the user automated Content ID capabilities. Content ID achieves through container identification of unknown materials quickly, easily, and safely.

Yaba, produced in Southeast Asia, is a popular drug of abuse and is actively targeted by police squads. Two strong and highly addictive stimulants make up Yaba: caffeine, which comprises up to 60% of each tablet, and methamphetamine at approximately 20%. Identifying these two active ingredients in different proportions in a colorful tablet with other excipients could be an analytical nightmare. With handheld Raman, bulk material identification is achieved in seconds onsite with simple point-and-shoot analysis. SERS (surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy) analysis is used to detect the minor component in mixtures without interference from fillers, dyes, and coatings. MIRA DS is uniquely capable of both analyses—Raman testing positively identifies caffeine in Yaba, while methamphetamine can be detected with SERS sampling. This application describes quick, dual analysis of Yaba tablets with MIRA DS.

TacticID-1064 ST is a handheld Raman device that can identify materials through paper, plastic, glass, and multilayer packaging, reducing exposure risks and eliminating the need to open containers.

Forensic institutes examine terrorist attacks and warfare agents via trace detection analysis of the used explosives and their residuals. Of particular importance is the acquisition of «chemical fingerprints» for criminal investigation departments and governmental security agencies. Institutes for public health and environmental protection analyze such compounds that can contaminate the underlying soil and infiltrate ground water.Forensic investigation with ion chromatography (IC) using suppressed conductivity detection allows a sensitive and robust determination of anionic contaminants such as chlorate, thiosulfate, thiocyanate, and perchlorate next to the common inorganic anions over a broad concentration range.

Today's Raman instrumentation is faster, more rugged, and less expensive than in the past and the advances in component miniaturization have led to the design of portable devices with extremely high performance designed for field-based investigations. This study focuses on the use of handheld Raman spectroscopy for the characterization and identification of samples encountered in various application areas related to forensic science.

Small, fast high-performance Raman spectrometers are now readily available. Three real-life Raman quantitative and semi-quantitative analysis applications are discussed. These applications showcase the versatility of Raman spectroscopy and the potential impact that it can make in various industries such as security, pharmaceutical, and plastics and polymers.

Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering or SERS is an anomalous enhancement of Raman scattering when molecules are adsorbed to gold or silver nanoparticles – this enhancement can be as large as 107. The advantage of SERS for the analytical chemist lies in its ability to detect analyte concentrations of parts per million and even parts per billion levels, while classical Raman is limited to parts per thousand. Metrohm Raman produces P-SERS assays in the form of nanoparticles printed onto substrates using inkjet technology. This method produces inexpensive test strips that exhibit exceptional stability and sensitivity. There are two markets that can be easily addressed with P-SERS: forensic analysisand food safety. This white paper explains the mechanism of SERS and how it can be applied to handheld Raman analysis with Metrohm Raman Mira systems.

An analytic chemist in your back pocket. A forensic laboratory in a suitcase. A HazMat team in the trunk of your car. First responders need all the help they can get when faced with potentially dangerous substances. Mira DS from Metrohm Raman is a sophisticated chemical analyzer that replaces the specialist with automation. The push of a button initiates proprietary Smart Acquire routines to optimize acquisition parameters and collect the highest quality spectra. These spectra are automatically subjected to library search and Mixture Matching routines capable of identifying up to three components of a mixture. When hazardous substances are detected, the user is alerted to immediate action with color-coded warnings.

Metrohm Raman presents a unique handheld materials identification system designed to meet the needs of defense and security professionals. Meet Mira DS, the most adaptable Raman analyzer available today. Mira DS was developed directly in response to requests from first responders in the field for a small, rugged, automated materialsidentification system that ensures the safety of the user in any situation.

Detection of threatening materials requires robust and sophisticated instruments capable of safe, instantaneous field-analysis of unknowns. In an environment where there is an ever-evolving threat of explosives made from commonlyavailable chemicals, explosive libraries must be customized constantly to include newly targeted materials. Mira DS from Metrohm Raman is the perfect solution for detection of explosives in the field. This handheld Raman instrument is equipped with sophisticated analysis algorithms and a suite of safety features for first responders who need the identity of a potential hazard... NOW! Mira DS and its software can be customized to respond to emerging hazards: this note describes procedures for creating custom libraries of binary explosive precursors to be used in library comparison and mixture matching routines on Mira DS. With these tools, unknown substances can be identified with color-coded warnings for fast action in critical situations.

A person suspected of possessing a narcotic can be charged with a crime only after the identity of the illicit substanceis confirmed. This confirmation is typically provided by analytical chemists in forensic laboratories and requires highly technical separation and detection methods. Unfortunately, such labs often have deep caseloads that lead to delays in testing. Handheld Raman analyzers bring the reliability and accuracy of lab analysis to first responders in the field, allowing for rapid and accurate identification of street drugs with a white powder appearance. With such tools, demand for forensic analysis can be reduced and enforcement agencies can enforce drug policies with greater safety, speed, and precision.

Printable Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (P-SERS) silver substrates were used with Metrohm Raman’s Mira DS handheld Raman analyzer to successfully detect heroin in 18 crude street heroin samples. Detection of heroin with P-SERS was accomplished easily and very quickly, with minimal sample clean-up. Solvent studies were also implemented to determine the optimal solvent for crude sample extraction, with results included here.

Like any defense and security professional, border agents must quickly and accurately identify suspicious substances at the point of contact. When that substance is fentanyl, which is deadly in microdoses, the stakes are even higher. The Mira DS handheld Raman system from Metrohm Raman offers safe, no-contact identification of over 200 fentanyl analogues. Mira DS protects border agents, while they protect citizens from deadly narcotics, drug smugglers, and illegal entry of goods.

Ion chromatography mass spectrometry (IC-MS) is a powerful tool that can handle many challenging analytical tasks which cannot be performed adequately by IC alone. IC-MS is a robust, sensitive, and selective technique used for the determination of polar contaminants like inorganic anions, organic acids, haloacetic acids, oxyhalides, or alkali and alkaline earth metals. After separation of the sample components via IC, mass selective detection guarantees peak identity with low detection limits. The inclusion of automated Metrohm Inline Sample Preparation (MISP) allows not only water samples, but also chemicals, organic solvents, or post-explosion residues to be readily analyzed without need for extensive manual laboratory work. This White Paper explains the benefits of IC-MS over IC in certain cases, the hyphenation of IC and different MS systems, as well as related norms and standards.

Handheld Raman is ever evolving. The combination of large libraries, a compact and easy-to-use system, and predictive Hazmat software make MIRA DS a powerful tool for defense and security professionals. Identify on-site materials, get hazard information, and make quick decisions about response to dangerous situations.

In this White Paper, you will learn about MIRA XTR DS – the smallest, smartest, most flexible handheld Raman system with the largest libraries available on the market! MIRA XTR DS has all the benefits of 785 nm Raman interrogation: compact size, low laser power, sample preservation, long battery lifetimes... now with fluorescence rejection. Additionally, there is improved sensitivity and resolution over 1064 nm systems. This opens up new possibilities for 785 nm Raman, including strongly colored materials, common excipients, illicit materials, and more.