Identification of a new tert-leucinate class synthetic cannabinoid in powder and "spice-like" herbal incenses: Methyl 2-[[1-(5-fluoropentyl)indole-3-carbonyl]amino]-3,3-dimethyl-butanoate (5F-MDMB-PICA).

A brown powder and different product packages of "spice-like" herbal incenses were analyzed using a systematic identification approach based on liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-PDA) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with computer based library search against spectral libraries. However, the most predominant compound in the methanolic sample solutions could not be identified. In order to elucidate the chemical structure, a more extensive analysis of the material was initiated using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS), electrospray high resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HRMS) and H, C and F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), which allowed the identification and characterization of the major compound as methyl 2-[[1-(5-fluoropentyl)indole-3-carbonyl]amino]-3,3-dimethyl-butanoate (5F-MDMB-PICA). The goal of this study is to provide analytical information for the identification of this new tert-leucinate class synthetic cannabinoid by various analytical methods.