Stability of volatile organic compounds in thermal desorption tubes and in solution.

Exhaled breath volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are often collected and stored in sorbent tubes before thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) analysis. Information about the stability of VOCs during storage is needed to account for potential artifacts and monitor for losses. Additionally, information about the stability of VOC standards in solution is required to assess their performance as quality control and internal standards.

Benchmarking breath analysis using peppermint approach with gas chromatography ion mobility spectrometer coupled to micro thermal desorber.

The Peppermint Initiative, established within the International Association of Breath Research, introduced the peppermint protocol, a breath analysis benchmarking effort designed to address the lack of inter-comparability of outcomes across different breath sampling techniques and analytical platforms. Benchmarking with gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) using peppermint has been previously reported however, coupling micro-thermal desorption (TD) to GC-IMS has not yet, been benchmarked for breath analysis. To benchmarkTD-GC-IMS for breath analysis using the peppermint protocol.

A passive membrane system for on-line mass spectrometry reagent addition.

Rationale: Post-separation addition of chemical modifiers in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry is widely used for improving ionization sensitivity and selectivity. This is typically accomplished using a post-column T-junction, which can result in sample dilution and imperfect mixing. We present a passive semi-permeable hollow fiber membrane approach for the addition of chemical modifiers that avoids these issues.

Carfentanil structural analogs found in street drugs by paper spray mass spectrometry and their characterization by high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Carfentanil is one of the most potent synthetic opioids ever developed, with an estimated analgesic potency approximately 20-100 times that of fentanyl and 10,000 times that of morphine. Carfentanil has been appearing in the illicit drug supply in many regions and has been linked to fatal overdose events. A subset of 59 street drug samples obtained in Victoria, B.

A direct mass spectrometry method for cannabinoid quantitation in urine and oral fluid utilizing reactive paper spray ionization.

A direct mass spectrometry method utilizing reactive paper spray ionization was developed for sensitive cannabinoid quantitation in biofluid matrices. The 2-minute sample measurements used on-paper derivatization to significantly increase paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) positive ion mode sensitivity while minimizing sample preparation steps. Calibrations demonstrate high linearity, with > 0.

Variability in the unregulated opioid market in the context of extreme rates of overdose.

Background: Drug checking uses analytical chemistry technologies to report on the composition of drugs from the unregulated market to reduce substance use-related risks, while additionally allowing for monitoring and reporting of the supply. In the context of an overdose crisis linked to fentanyl, we used drug checking data to examine variability within the illicit opioid supply.

Methods: In this time-series analysis, data was collected from a drug checking service in Victoria, Canada from November 2020 to July 2021.

Rapid and accurate etizolam detection using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for community drug checking.

Background: In British Columbia, Canada, illicit opioids have been increasingly combined with etizolam, a benzodiazepine analog, that continues to challenge popular portable drug checking technologies as it is often present in low concentrations as a result of its high potency. An unknown combination of opioids and benzodiazepines may have dangerous consequences due to unpredictable dosing, increased respiratory depression, and complicated overdose response measures.

Methods: Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) using a portable Raman spectrometer is used to establish a univariate model for the detection of etizolam in opioid drug mixtures (n=100) obtained from the Vancouver Island Drug Checking Project, where the presence of etizolam has been determined using paper-spray mass spectrometry.

Portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in drug checking: Detection of carfentanil and etizolam in expected opioid samples.

Background: There has been a recent increase in adulteration of opioids with low concentration actives such as fentanyl analogues and benzodiazepines. As drug checking projects using vibrational spectroscopy continue to seek confirmatory lab-based testing, the concern and reality of missing these potentially harmful substances in point-of-care testing is prevalent.

Methods: A portable GC-MS was used to analyze select opioid samples acquired at a drug checking service in Victoria, Canada (n=59).

Rapid and quantitative determination of fentanyls and pharmaceuticals from powdered drug samples by paper spray mass spectrometry.

Paper spray mass spectrometry is presented as a direct, quantitative tool for the measurement of pharmaceutical drugs and a variety of fentanyl analogs in solid samples and powder slurries with the ultimate goal of providing meaningful harm-reduction drug checking. Method development and validation was carried out for fentanyl analog slurries as a proxy for street drug samples. Lower limits of quantitation were determined to be 3.

MASS SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS OF DRUGS OF ABUSE: CHALLENGES AND EMERGING STRATEGIES.

Mass spectrometry has been the "gold standard" for drugs of abuse (DoA) analysis for many decades because of the selectivity and sensitivity it affords. Recent progress in all aspects of mass spectrometry has seen significant developments in the field of DoA analysis. Mass spectrometry is particularly well suited to address the rapidly proliferating number of very high potency, novel psychoactive substances that are causing an alarming number of fatalities worldwide.

Direct quantitation and characterization of fatty acids in salmon tissue by condensed phase membrane introduction mass spectrometry (CP-MIMS) using a modified donor phase.

Existing mass spectrometric methods for the analysis of fatty acids often require derivatization, chromatographic separations, and/or extensive sample preparation. Direct mass spectrometry strategies can avoid these requirements, but may also suffer from poor quantitation and/or lack of sensitivity. Condensed phase-membrane introduction mass spectrometry (CP-MIMS) provides direct quantitative measurements of analytes in complex samples with little or no sample preparation.