Chemical characterization of synthetic cannabinoids by electrospray ionization FT-ICR mass spectrometry

The synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) represent the most recent advent of the new psychotropic substances (NPS) and has become popularly known to mitigate the effects of the Δ(9)-THC. The SCs are dissolved in organic solvents and sprayed in a dry herbal blend. However, little information is reported on active ingredients of SCs as well as the excipients or diluents added to the herbal blend. In this work, the direct infusion electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry technique (ESI-FT-ICR MS) was applied to explore the chemical composition of nine samples of herbal extract blends, where a total of 11 SCs (UR-144, JWH-073, XLR-11, JWH-250, JWH-122, AM-2201, AKB48, JWH-210, JWH-081, MAM-2201 and 5F-AKB48) were identified in the positive ionization mode, ESI(+), and other 44 chemical species (saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, sugars, flavonoids, etc.) were detected in the negative ionization mode, ESI(-). Additionally, CID experiments were performed, and fragmentation pathways were proposed to identify the connectivity of SCs. Thus, the direct infusion ESI-FT-ICR MS technique is a powerful tool in forensic chemistry that enables the rapid and unequivocal way for the determination of molecular formula, the degree of unsaturation (DBE-double bond equivalent) and exact mass (<1ppm) of a total of 55 chemical species without the prior separation step.