Rapid detection of nicotine from breath using desorption ionisation on porous silicon
Journal: Chemical Communications
Published: 2017-05-04
DOI: 10.1039/c7cc00243b
Affiliations: 2
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Smoke signals on the breath
© Erik Jonsson/EyeEm /Getty
Nicotine can be directly detected in breath without the need for lengthy lab tests.
Breathalysers are commonly used for alcohol tests but on-the-spot screening for smaller molecules found in drugs, usually in saliva, can be unreliable and require further analysis in the lab.
A team including researchers from the University of South Australia made a breathalyser by inserting a porous silicon chip into a straw and used it to capture the breath from a habitual cigarette smoker. Laser excitation of the silicon surface revealed which molecules were present in the breath without interference, and revealed nicotine in the same concentrations as other lab-based screening methods.
The technique represents a promising step towards instant breath analysis for evidence of illegal drugs or biomarkers, molecules that could diagnose diseases.
- Chem. Commun. 53, 5224-5226 (2017). doi: 10.1039/C7CC00243B
Institutions | Share |
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Future Industries Institute, UniSA, Australia | 0.50 |
Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), Monash University, Australia | 0.50 |