Reduced graphene oxide/gold nanoparticle was synthesized and characterized extensively. The nano-composites were employed as effective substrate for the investigation of surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity of rhodamine 6G. Rhodamine 6G absorbing on the nano-composites provided much stronger Raman signals than absorbing on pure gold nanoparticles. Raman signals containing both graphene and rhodamine 6G peaks were observed. Afterwards, we found the enhanced Raman scattering originated from the chemical mechanism and the increased scattering cross section. These findings would provide a new insight on better understanding of chemical-enhanced Raman mechanism and open up a new way of the graphene-metallic nanoparticle substrate applications. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.