AI Article Synopsis
- The rise in drug-facilitated crimes highlights the need for effective prevention strategies, particularly for quick detection of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATSs) before they are ingested.
- Researchers developed drug screening kits (DSKs) that utilize specialized paper sensors to detect ATSs in drinks through a color change from blue to red, observable without any specialized equipment.
- The DSKs successfully identified ATSs in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, showcasing their potential as a tool for preventing drug-facilitated crimes.
Article Abstract
With the growth of drug-facilitated crimes, prevention has become increasingly important. Although various drug detection technologies exist, most focus on postconsumption detection. However, the prevention of drug-facilitated crimes requires technology for the quick and easy detection of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATSs) before ingestion. Herein, drug screening kits (DSKs) were developed for the simple detection of ATSs in drinks. The DSKs consisted of polydiacetylene nanofiber-based paper sensors fabricated by electrospinning with 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) and PCDA-dopamine as sensing materials that can bind ATSs via hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions. Dropping a drink on the DSK provided an immediate visual indication of the presence of ATSs. When ATSs were present in the drink, the color of the DSK clearly changed from blue to red, with the increase in red intensity being more than twofold greater than that observed when water alone was tested. Notably, the result could be confirmed by the naked eye without any analytical instrumentation. A color change indicating the presence of ATSs was successfully observed in various alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. These results indicate the potential of DSKs for preventing drug-facilitated crimes caused by unwanted drug intake.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.1c04512 | DOI Listing |
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