Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

Untargeted Metabolomics from Biological Sources Using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS)
Published on: May 20, 2013
Chromatographic screening for zopiclone and metabolites in urine using liquid chromatography and liquid
Helena K Nordgren1, Karl Bodin, Olof Beck
1Institution of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, L7:05, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. Helena.Nordgren@ks.se
Abstract:
Zopiclone is a benzodiazepine-like hypnotic that was believed not to have any abuse potential. Nevertheless, during the past few years there have been an increasing number of reports on the abuse and misuse of zopiclone. Despite this, methods for screening analysis in urine are lacking. To investigate whether UV detection would be possible to use for this purpose, a liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet detection for analyzing zopiclone and its urinary metabolites was developed, with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for confirmation. The method was used for analyzing samples from subjects receiving methadone. The limits of detection were approximately 100 ng/mL in control urine samples and 500 ng/mL in urine samples from subjects receiving methadone. However, due to the high background in these patients' urine, a single therapeutic dose was impossible to detect.
Related Concept Videos
Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
Chromatographic Methods: Terminology
Chromatographic Methods: Classification
Chromatographic techniques are typically named by...
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: Types of Detectors
Ion-Exchange Chromatography

