In Hong Kong, ecstasy tablets are more commonly known as "Fing Tau Yuen", literally meaning "Shake Head Pills". The tablets contain mainly amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) including 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), methamphetamine (MA) and/or ketamine. Adulterant such as caffeine was also detected in the tablets. This paper reports a study on the impurity profiles of ecstasy tablets from 89 seizures in Hong Kong from 2002 to early 2004. Tablet samples were extracted by diethyl ether under alkaline condition and then analyzed by gas GC-MS. The chromatograms obtained were compared. A total of 19 identified impurities were selected as markers for impurity profiling. They are different precursors, intermediates and by-products. The data matrices were examined by hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and then the ecstasy tablets were classified into different groups. Cluster analysis of ecstasy tablets is shown to be capable of providing intelligence on clandestine laboratory networks.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2006.02.055 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Comparison of strength and adulteration between illicit drugs obtained from cryptomarkets versus off-line.
Addiction
January 2025
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the quality and strength of drugs sourced from cryptomarkets versus those obtained offline, focusing on substances like MDMA, cocaine, and LSD.
- Results show that drugs from cryptomarkets had a higher likelihood of containing the expected substance and were generally stronger than those from offline sources, particularly for MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
- However, some cryptomarket drugs like MDMA tablets and amphetamine were found to be lower in strength compared to their offline counterparts.
Evaluation of spectroscopic techniques for on-site drug testing of festival seizures.
Drug Test Anal
August 2024
Drugs and Toxicology, National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology, Brussels, Belgium.
Despite the fact that drugs of abuse are illegal, a drug-free festival still remains an utopia in most settings. For law enforcement purposes, it is necessary to rapidly determine whether controlled substances are involved. On-site testing is a challenging task because drugs appear in different physical forms and concentrations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemical composition of Ecstasy tablets seized in Poland between 2005 and 2020.
Forensic Toxicol
July 2024
Professor Jan Sehn Institute of Forensic Research, Krakow, Poland.
Purpose: The most commonly associated substance found in Ecstasy tablets is MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine). In our study, we showed how the composition of psychoactive ingredients in Ecstasy tablets seized on the drug market in Poland has changed in the years 2005-2020.
Methods: The study material consisted of nearly 20,000 single Ecstasy tablets seized by representatives of law enforcement (the police, prosecutors) from 2005 to 2020 and analysed by the Institute of Forensic Research, Krakow, Poland.
Qualitative transformations of street-seized ecstasy over a decade: A case study in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
J Forensic Sci
July 2024
Instituto de Química, Núcleo de Análises Forenses (NAF) - Laboratório de Apoio Ao Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (LADETEC), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
The illegal drug market is constantly evolving, with new drugs being created and existing ones being modified. Adulterants are often added to the mix, and the primary substance may be secretly replaced by a new one. Once-known tablets can now be vastly different from what they are sold as, all due to the pursuit of profit and evasion of current drug regulations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeadspace solid-phase microextraction - gas chromatography - mass spectrometry qualitative screening method for active compounds, adulterants and impurities in ecstasy tablets seized in Northern Santa Catarina State, Brazil.
Forensic Sci Int
February 2024
Laboratório de Pesquisa em Química Analítica e Nanomateriais Inorgânicos [Analytical Chemistry and Inorganic Nanomaterials Research Lab], Departamento de Química [Chemistry Department], Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina [Santa Catarina State University], Joinville, SC, Brazil. Electronic address:
The present work describes the development of a headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the qualitative analysis of compounds in seized ecstasy tablets that can be easily implemented in regular laboratories. HS-SPME with a DVB/CAR/PDMS 50/30 µm fiber was used to extract the ecstasy pills' components, including major and minor ones, in a single extraction/chromatographic run. For HS-SPME, the incubation time (0 min to 30 min), the extraction time (10 min to 40 min) and temperature (40 °C to 80 ºC), the buffer volume (3 mL to 8 mL), the buffer pH (6 to 9) and the NaCl concentration (0 mol/L to 6 mol/L) were evaluated using fractional factorial design.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!