Structure Assignment of Seized Products Containing Cathinone Derivatives Using High Resolution Analytical Techniques

Area of Science:

• Forensic Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Toxicology

Background:

• The emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) poses significant public health risks.
• Rapid identification of NPS is essential for harm reduction strategies.
• Synthetic cathinones (SCat) are a prevalent class of NPS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify illicit substances in seized products from the Portuguese market.
• To characterize the prevalence and types of synthetic cathinones.
• To evaluate analytical methods for NPS identification.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of twelve seized products using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR).
• Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for substance identification.
• Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) for structural elucidation.

Main Results:

• Synthetic cathinones (SCat) were detected in all analyzed samples.
• Eight cathinone derivatives were identified, including MPHP, α-PHP, 3-FMC, methedrone, methylone, buphedrone, N-ethylcathinone, and pentedrone.
• Caffeine and ethylphenidate were the most common adulterants found.

Conclusions:

• Synthetic cathinones are prevalent in seized illicit materials in Portugal.
• A combination of ATR-FTIR, GC-MS, and NMR is effective for rapid and unequivocal NPS identification.
• Complementary analytical techniques are vital when reference standards are unavailable.