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Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction as a means to identify illicit materials: a preliminary optimisation study.
Emily Cook1, Ruby Fong, Julie Horrocks
1Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, UCL, London WC1E 6BT, UK. ecook@medphys.ucl.ac.uk
Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) offers a rapid, non-destructive method for identifying illicit drugs in parcels. This technique, combined with multivariate analysis, accurately predicts drug content from spectral data.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Forensic Science
Background:
- Illicit drug detection in postal services requires rapid, non-destructive methods.
- Traditional methods may involve sample destruction or lengthy analysis times.
- X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a powerful tool for material identification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) as a non-destructive technique for identifying illicit drugs.
- To develop and validate a data analysis pipeline for EDXRD spectra of drug samples.
Main Methods:
- Collected preliminary EDXRD data from 7 illicit drug samples and a cutting agent.
- Utilized a tungsten target X-ray source, HpGe detector, and variable geometry diffraction cell.
- Employed multivariate analysis software for spectral calibration and training.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated a preliminary dataset of EDXRD spectra for various drug samples.
- Calibrated multivariate analysis software capable of predicting drug content.
- Demonstrated the potential for rapid, non-destructive drug identification.
Conclusions:
- EDXRD is a promising non-destructive method for rapid illicit drug identification in parcels.
- Multivariate analysis of EDXRD spectra enables accurate prediction of drug composition.
- Further development could enhance security screening capabilities.
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