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A successful interface between a high-performance liquid chromatograph and a Raman spectrometer is described. Surface-enhanced techniques are utilized to overcome the sensitivity problem inherent to conventional Raman spectrometry by adding a Ag sol to the chromatographic effluent in a post-column mixing coil. The system is designed so that Raman spectra may be obtained from chromatographic effluent or from flow injection analysis effluent. A common organic dye (pararosaniline hydrochloride) is used to evaluate the reproducibility, dynamic range, and analytical capabilities of the system. The SERS instrument is found to be a viable detector for HPLC and FIA, capable of providing structural information with a sensitivity comparable to that of other commonly used HPLC detectors.

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LH, a 76-year-old Caucasian male, ingested 3 teaspoons (15 mL) of a homemade wine over a 1-h period and became ill. Approximately 1.5 h later, he was taken to the emergency room of a local hospital with symptoms of respiratory distress and weakness. The plant used in making the wine was Angel's trumpet (Datura suaveolens), which reportedly contains varying amounts of scopolamine and atropine. A sample of the wine was collected and analyzed for these two compounds by reversed-phase HPLC chromatography using 97% methanol-3% deionized water. The filtered wine contained an estimated 29 mg scopolamine/mL, which produced a total ingested dose of 435 mg. No atropine was detected. The scopolamine was confirmed by TLC. An oral dose of 50 mg of atropine sulfate in humans has been reported fatal, but there is no reported fatal dose for scopolamine. The alcohol content and 3.8 pH of the homemade wine may have increased the extraction of this compound from the plant material, and the wine fermentation process may have concentrated the original extract.