Evaluating the sensitivity, stability, and cross-reactivity of commercial fentanyl immunoassay test strips.

Illicit fentanyl has flooded the United States' drug market, increasing the risk of overdose and poisonings throughout the general population and accidental exposure among law enforcement officers confiscating the increasing number of seizures. Fentanyl test strips (FTS) are used to obtain presumptive information about the presence of fentanyl in a suspected sample. However, their adoption by law enforcement personnel and seized-drug analysts has been limited because most products are advertised for urine testing, not for assays using water solutions.

Validation of the 4-aminophenol color test for the differentiation of marijuana-type and hemp-type cannabis.

The analysis of cannabis plant material submitted to seized-drug laboratories was significantly affected by the signing of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, which defined hemp and removed it from the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act. As a result, field law enforcement personnel and forensic laboratories now are in need of implementing new protocols that can distinguish between marijuana-type and hemp-type cannabis. Colorimetric tests provide a cost-effective and efficient manner to presumptively identify materials prior to submission to a laboratory for analysis.

Anion identification via complexation with meso-octamethylcalix(4)pyrrole and detection using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

The routine identification of controlled substances and adulterants during forensic chemistry analysis often involves the identification of counter ions or salt forms present in an exhibit. Here, the use of the compound meso-octamethylcalix(4)pyrrole (C4P) during salt-form identification analysis is presented. C4P is a commercially-available, anion-binding agent that can be reacted with a controlled substance or adulterant, resulting in the sequestration of anionic species, usually present as counter ions to the active ingredient.

Rapid analysis of controlled substances using desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

The recently developed technique of desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) has been applied to the rapid analysis of controlled substances. Experiments have been performed using a commercial ThermoFinnigan LCQ Advantage MAX ion-trap mass spectrometer with limited modifications. Results from the ambient sampling of licit and illicit tablets demonstrate the ability of the DESI technique to detect the main active ingredient(s) or controlled substance(s), even in the presence of other higher-concentration components.

Pulsed fluorescence measurements of trapped molecular ions with zero background detection.

Sensitive methods have been developed to measure laser-induced fluorescence from trapped ions by reducing the detection of background scattering to zero levels during the laser excitation pulse. The laser beam diameter has been reduced to approximately 150 microm to eliminate scattering on trap apertures and the resulting laser-ion interaction is limited to a volume of approximately 10(-5) cm which is approximately 0.03-0.