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Rapid, Secure Drug Testing Using Fingerprint Development and Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry
Catia Costa1, Roger Webb2, Vladimir Palitsin2
1Ion Beam Centre, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK; c.d.costa@surrey.ac.uk.
Clinical Chemistry
|September 24, 2017
Summary
Fingerprint analysis using paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) offers a rapid, noninvasive method for detecting cocaine use. This technique provides high accuracy, making it a viable alternative to blood testing for drug screening.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Toxicology
Background:
- Paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) is a sensitive technique for drug detection in blood.
- Fingerprints offer a noninvasive, traceable alternative matrix for drug analysis.
- This study aimed to validate fingerprint analysis for detecting cocaine use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the use of fingerprint samples for detecting cocaine use.
- To establish a noninvasive screening method for cocaine consumption.
Main Methods:
- Samples collected on chromatography paper.
- Analysis performed using paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS).
- Incorporated a fingerprint visualization step with silver nitrate and UV light.
Main Results:
- Sensitive detection of cocaine, benzoylecgonine, and methylecgonine.
- High true-positive rate (99%) and low false-positive rate (2.5%) for cocaine use.
- No matrix effects observed, with relative standard deviations < 33%.
Conclusions:
- The developed method is a qualitative, noninvasive screening test for cocaine use.
- The analysis is rapid, taking only 4 minutes per sample.
- No sample preparation is required, simplifying the procedure.