NCJ Number
217222
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 52 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2007 Pages: 88-92
Date Published
January 2007
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This paper presents the procedure and results of using a Raman spectroscopy method for detecting the drug content of street samples of amphetamine.
Abstract
The study determined that Raman spectroscopy has potential for analyzing the quantity of amphetamine in seized street drug samples. Dissolving the sample and adding an internal standard makes this possible even if the sample contains unknown adulterants and impurities. Calculations can be performed by either a traditional calibration method or by using PCA and partial least squares (PLS) methods. Both methods produced results sufficiently accurate for routine forensic analysis. Two quantification methods were used: direct use of an internal standard and relative peak heights and multivariate calibration by PLS. The Raman spectra of the samples were measured with a CDD-Raman (CCD, charge-coupled device) spectrometer developed by VTT Electronic (Oulu, Finland). The acquisition time for amphetamine spectra was 1 minute, and the power of the 830 nm laser at the sample was 100 mW. The diameter of the measurement spot was 0.5 mm. No manual baseline correction was performed, but the spectra were differentiated twice to obtain their second derivatives, which were further analyzed. 2 tables, 6 figures, and 17 references