The Daily Bulletin

Please join the Chemistry Department for the seminar "Enhancing Methods of Rapid Trace Opioid Detection Using SERS and OPI-MS," presented by George Pollinger, master's degree candidate in the Chemistry Department at SUNY Buffalo State, on Thursday, November 10, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 151. 

Abstract
The opioid crisis has grown exponentially within recent years, accounting for over 80,000 U.S. deaths in 2021 alone. Both natural and synthetic opioids are highly addictive, raising concern over the number of users and abusers supplied with these drugs. To combat opioid abuse in the United States, it is crucial to eliminate the drugs at the source by seizing packages containing illicit opioids before they import into the U.S. for distribution. While trace opioid detection is typically laborious and time consuming, methods that are both simple and rapid are needed to recognize illicit opioids within packages before they can be imported into the U.S. This presentation includes two analytical procedures that detect trace amounts of opioids on site at international mail facilities (IMFs) and express courier hubs (ECHs). The first paper has demonstrated the use of micro-liquid extractions and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) handheld devices to detect trace opioids in suspect pharmaceutical tablets. The second uses open port interface–mass spectrometry (OPI-MS) to detect trace opioids on mail and packages. The talk will conclude with an overview of the benefits these methods offer, as well as suggest future research to broaden the applications of their use as a forensic tool.