In this study, a simple and reliable method by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for the fast and regular identification of 3, 4-MDMA impurities in ecstasy tablets. In so doing, 8 samples of impurities were extracted by diethyl ether under alkaline condition and then analyzed by GC-MS. The results revealed high MDMA levels ranging from 37.6% to 57.7%. The GC-MS method showed that unambiguous identification can be achieved for MDMA from 3, 4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), Amphetamine (AM), methamphetamine (MA) and ketamine (Keta) compounds, respectively. The experimental results indicated the acceptable time window without interfering peaks. It is found that GC-MS was provided a suitable and rapid identification approach for MDMA (Ecstacy) tablets, particularly in the Forensic labs. Consequently, the intense MDMA levels would support the police to develop a simple quantification of impurity in Ecstasy tablets.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4986105 | PMC |
Addiction
January 2025
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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 PDFForensic 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.
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 PDFForensic 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 PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!