Quantitative measurement of trace amoxicillin using SERS under the conditions of controlled agglomeration of silver nanoparticles

Excess amount of amoxicillin in food products endangers the health of consumers, and, therefore, requires effective control measures. In this paper, the factors that affect selection and effectivity of the quantitative analysis of amoxicillin were investigated using SERS method. It was demonstrated that under silver nanoparticles controlled agglomeration conditions in the presence of calcium chloride and under the specific pH value, the enhancement factor (EF) reached 8.1 x 10(7), which was 10,000 times greater than what was observed under uncontrolled conditions. Depending on the pH value, the study of structural changes happening on the surface of silver nanoparticles in amoxicillin was conducted. Based on the resulted patterns and on the chemometric analysis (PLS), an ultrasensitive method for quantitative measurement of amoxicillin was developed in the concentration range of 25-1000 nmol/L with high correlation coefficient (R-2 = 0.9988) and with the limit of detection 0.44 nmol/L.

Automated summary

This study investigates the factors affecting the selection and effectivity of quantitative analysis of amoxicillin using the SERS method. It shows that under specific conditions, including certain pH values and controlled agglomeration of silver nanoparticles, the enhancement factor can be significantly increased, leading to the development of an ultrasensitive method for quantifying amoxicillin.