Fast Quantitative LC-MS/MS Determination of Illicit Substances in Solid and Liquid Unknown Seized Samples

Area of Science:

• Forensic Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Narcotic and psychotropic substances pose significant public health and order challenges.
• Illicit products containing these substances require reliable analytical methods for legal evidence.
• Existing methods may lack the scope or efficiency for comprehensive analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel analytical method for the simultaneous quantification of common narcotic and psychotropic substances.
• To establish a reliable, transparent, and uniform procedure for analyzing seized illicit materials.
• To address the need for high analytical requirements in forensic drug analysis.

Main Methods:

• Development and validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method.
• Simultaneous quantitative determination of 37 narcotic substances and common excipients/adulterants.
• Application of a 'dilute and shoot' sample preparation technique.
• Analysis in both positive and negative polarization modes using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM).

Main Results:

• The validated method enables simultaneous quantification of 37 key narcotic substances and adulterants.
• The method demonstrated high precision and trueness, meeting international regulatory guidelines (<14.31% and <13.41%).
• The 'dilute and shoot' approach simplifies sample preparation for both solid and liquid samples.

Conclusions:

• A robust and efficient LC-MS/MS method has been validated for analyzing illicit drug samples.
• This method provides reliable quantitative data crucial for judicial evidence.
• The technique supports national uniformity in forensic analysis of narcotic and psychotropic substances.