Development and validation of analytical method for identification of new psychoactive substances using linear retention indexes and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) are quickly developing to evade legislation, posing unprecedented challenges to public health and law enforcement authorities around the world. The aim of this work was to develop and validate a simple and reliable non-target gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analytical method based on linear retention indexes for the expeditious identification of NPS without the need of analytical standards. The method was optimized and validated for 22 different drugs covering ten categories: phenethylamines (amphetamine, MDMA, methamphetamine, 25CNBOMe, 2-FA, 5-MAPB), "classic" drugs (cocaine, ephedrine, THC, heroine), synthetic cannabinoids (JWH-081, AM-2201, JWH-210, MAM-2201), piperazines (o-CPP, p-CPP), tryptamines (5-MeO-MiPT), synthetic cathinones (N-ethylpentylone), synthetic opioids (U-47700), aminoindanes (5-IAI), plant-based substances (Salvinorin-A) and "other" (methiopropamine).

Challenges in the identification of new thermolabile psychoactive substances: The 25I-NBOH case.

The continuous emergence of NPS over the last years poses a series of novel challenges for forensic analysts. Most of those new compounds are synthesized with minimal chemical modifications to the structure of already known chemicals in order to avoid regulations. Some of these new compounds may undergo chemical changes during analysis leading to misidentification and detrimental legal consequences.