[Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy of ractopamine hydrochloride]

The terahertz spectra of Ractopamine hydrochloride in the range of 0.2 to 2.2 THz was obtained by THz time-domain spectroscopy, and the absorption and refraction spectra of Ractopamine hydrochloride was got meanwhile. The structure and vibrational frequencies of Ractopamine molecule in the THz range were simulated by density functional theory. The difference between experimental and theoretical results was analyzed. And assisted by Gaussian View 3.09, the origin of the vibrational frequencies was recognized. The results show that besides the intramolecular vibrations, THz absorption of Ractopamine hydrochloride originated from the intermolecular hydrogen bond network and Van der Waals force between molecules. This study demonstrated the feasibility of time-domain terahertz spectroscopy for the identification of Ractopamine hydrochloride and provided a new way for the detection of Ractopamine hydrochloride.