Solid-state vibrational circular dichroism: Methodology and application for amphetamine derivatives.

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy
• Forensic Science

Background:

• Amphetamine derivatives are frequently seized illicit substances globally.
• Enantiomeric discrimination is crucial for forensic and pharmaceutical analysis.
• Solid-state spectroscopy offers advantages for analyzing crystalline compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a reliable method for solid-state vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy.
• To apply solid-state VCD for differentiating between enantiomers of amphetamine and its derivatives.
• To assess the potential of VCD in pharmaceutical and forensic applications.

Main Methods:

• Development of a universal experimental approach for solid-state VCD.
• Sample preparation using pellets of camphor and crystalline matrix powder.
• Optimization of pellet thickness, diameter, and sample rotation speed for VCD measurements.

Main Results:

• Achieved reliable and reproducible solid-state VCD spectra.
• Successfully discriminated between (S)- and (R)-enantiomers of amphetamine, methamphetamine, and MDMA.
• Demonstrated high-quality spectra with excellent signal-to-noise ratios.

Conclusions:

• Solid-state VCD spectroscopy is a cost-effective and user-friendly technique.
• VCD is suitable for analyzing conformational changes and molecular packing in solids.
• The method shows significant potential for pharmaceutical quality control and forensic analysis of seized drugs.