The presence of pharmacologically active adulterants in seized illicit drugs is common, and many of these substances can cause unwanted local and systemic reactions, therefore contributing to the overall toxicity of the "street drug". Due to this situation, the analytical information derived from the analysis of street drugs is very important for legal and crime investigation purposes. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is well suited for the analysis of illicit drugs: it can separate a wide variety of solutes with high efficiency and selectivity, including highly polar, thermally labile and/or non-volatile compounds which could prove difficult to analyse via gas chromatography (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The aim of this study is the development of a micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method suitable for the analysis of several different basic, acidic and neutral solutes, for the purpose of screening adulterants in seized substances. The proposed method uses a BGE containing SDS and β-cyclodextrin in phosphate buffer, a 48.5 cm uncoated fused silica capillary and a photodiode array (PDA) detector set at 233 nm. It is capable of discriminating atropine, lidocaine, quinidine, acetaminophen, scopolamine, caffeine, theophylline, salicylic acid and tetramisole in their mixtures. Preliminary results are promising and further assays on more adulterants are currently in progress.
Fast MEKC method for the analysis of adulterants commonly present in street drugs
MORGANTI, EMANUELE;SARACINO, MARIA ADDOLORATA;MANDRIOLI, ROBERTO;RAGGI, MARIA AUGUSTA
2013
Abstract
The presence of pharmacologically active adulterants in seized illicit drugs is common, and many of these substances can cause unwanted local and systemic reactions, therefore contributing to the overall toxicity of the "street drug". Due to this situation, the analytical information derived from the analysis of street drugs is very important for legal and crime investigation purposes. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is well suited for the analysis of illicit drugs: it can separate a wide variety of solutes with high efficiency and selectivity, including highly polar, thermally labile and/or non-volatile compounds which could prove difficult to analyse via gas chromatography (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The aim of this study is the development of a micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method suitable for the analysis of several different basic, acidic and neutral solutes, for the purpose of screening adulterants in seized substances. The proposed method uses a BGE containing SDS and β-cyclodextrin in phosphate buffer, a 48.5 cm uncoated fused silica capillary and a photodiode array (PDA) detector set at 233 nm. It is capable of discriminating atropine, lidocaine, quinidine, acetaminophen, scopolamine, caffeine, theophylline, salicylic acid and tetramisole in their mixtures. Preliminary results are promising and further assays on more adulterants are currently in progress.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
