Adsorption of ortho- and para-phthalic acids on oxidised aluminium foil was investigated by Raman and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Without any treatment of the foil only a modified method of SERS provided spectroscopic evidence of the adsorption. However, by dissolving the metal aluminium from the Al2O3-Al-Al2O3 structure of the foil, the adsorption could be investigated by Raman spectroscopy without surface-enhanced conditions. The vibrational bands of the adsorbed species, obtained by both types of Raman spectroscopy, are compared to the solid-state spectra of the pure acids and their dipotassium salts. The band shifts suggest that the adsorbed species are essentially in the carboxylate form; however, the Raman and the SER spectra of the same species are not identical indicating a separate chemical reaction occurring at the surface upon depositing the sol. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.